BILL REQ. #:  S-2563.1 

READ FIRST TIME 03/05/07.   

     AN ACT Relating to safe schools; amending RCW 28A.320.125; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.310 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 28A.320.125 and 2002 c 205 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) ((By June 1, 2002, within existing resources, the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with representatives from the emergency management division of the state military department, educators, classified staff, principals, superintendents, administrators, the American society for industrial security, the state criminal justice training commission, the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs, and others as determined by the superintendent, shall provide guidance to school districts in developing comprehensive safe school plans for each school. This guidance shall include, but shall not be limited to, a comprehensive school safety checklist to use as a tool when developing their own individual comprehensive safe school plans, and successful models of comprehensive safe school plans that include prevention, intervention, all-hazards/crisis response, and postcrisis recovery.)) The legislature considers it to be a matter of public safety for public schools and staff to have current safe school plans and procedures in place, fully consistent with federal law. The legislature further finds and intends, by requiring safe school plans to be in place, that school districts will become eligible for federal assistance. The legislature further finds that schools are in a position to serve the community in the event of an emergency resulting from natural disasters or man-made disasters.
     (2) Schools and school districts shall consider the guidance provided by the superintendent of public instruction, including the comprehensive school safety checklist and the model comprehensive safe school plans that include prevention, intervention, all hazard/crisis response, and postcrisis recovery, when developing their own individual comprehensive safe school plans. Each school district shall adopt, no later than September 1, 2008, and implement a safe school plan consistent with the school mapping information system pursuant to RCW 36.28A.060. The plan shall:
     (a) Include required school safety policies and procedures;
     (b) Address emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery;
     (c) Include provisions for assisting and communicating with students and staff, including those with special needs or disabilities;
     (d) Use the training guidance provided by the Washington emergency management division of the state military department in collaboration with the Washington state office of the superintendent of public instruction school safety center and the school safety center advisory committee;
     (e) Require the building principal to be certified on the incident command system;
     (f) Take into account the manner in which the school facilities may be used as a community asset in the event of a community-wide emergency; and
     (g) Set guidelines for requesting city or county law enforcement agencies, local fire departments, emergency service providers, and county emergency management agencies to meet with school districts and participate in safety-related drills annually.
     (3) ((The superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with school district superintendents, shall establish timelines for school districts to develop individual comprehensive safe school plans. The superintendent of public instruction shall require school districts to periodically report progress on their comprehensive safe school plans.
     (4))) School districts shall annually:
     (a) Review and update safe school plans in collaboration with local emergency response agencies;
     (b) Conduct an inventory of all hazardous materials;
     (c) Update information on the school mapping information system to reflect current staffing and updated plans, including:
     (i) Identifying all staff members who are trained on the national incident management system, trained on the incident command system, or are certified on the incident command system; and
     (ii) Identifying school transportation procedures for evacuation, to include bus staging areas, evacuation routes, communication systems, parent-student reunification sites, and secondary transportation agreements consistent with the school mapping information system; and
     (d) Provide information to all staff on the use of emergency supplies and notification and alert procedures.
     (4) School districts are required to annually record and report on the information and activities required in subsection (3) of this section to the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs.
     (5) School districts are encouraged to work with local emergency management agencies and other emergency responders to conduct one tabletop exercise, one functional exercise, and two full-scale exercises within a four-year period.
     (6) Schools shall conduct no less than one safety-related drill each month that school is in session. Schools shall complete no less than one drill using the school mapping information system, one drill for lockdowns, one drill for shelter-in-place, and six drills for fire evacuation in accordance with the state fire code. Schools should consider drills for earthquakes, tsunamis, or other high risk local events. Schools shall document the date and time of such drills. This subsection is intended to satisfy all federal requirements for comprehensive school emergency drills and evacuations.
     (7) Educational service districts are encouraged to apply for federal emergency response and crisis management grants with the assistance of the superintendent of public instruction and the Washington emergency management division of the state military department.
     (8) The superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules to implement provisions of this section. These rules may include, but are not limited to, provisions for ((periodic drills and testing,)) evacuations, lockdowns, or other components of a comprehensive safe school plan.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) A task force on gangs in schools is created to examine current adult and youth gang activities that are affecting school safety. The task force shall work under the guidance of the superintendent of public instruction school safety center, the school safety center advisory committee, and the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs.
     (2) The task force shall be comprised of representatives, selected by the superintendent of public instruction, who possess expertise relevant to gang activity in schools. The task force shall outline methods for preventing new gangs, eliminating existing gangs, gathering intelligence, and sharing information about gang activities.
     (3) Beginning December 1, 2007, the task force shall annually report its findings and recommendations to the education committees of the legislature.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 28A.310 RCW to read as follows:
     Within the amounts appropriated for this purpose, the educational service districts shall collaborate with the office of the superintendent of public instruction school safety center and the school safety center advisory committee to award grants to school districts for the development and updating of comprehensive safe school plans, school safety training, and conducting safety-related drills. The grant amounts may also include allocations for the installation of school building alarm systems that enhance the school's ability to respond to emergencies in a rapid manner. The selection of the grant recipients shall be prioritized based on a standard set of eligibility and outcome criteria established through coordination with the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the school safety center advisory committee to the school districts and schools needing the most assistance in implementing RCW 28A.320.125. In addition to administering the grant, the educational service districts, when appropriate, shall provide technical assistance and training to school districts that allow the districts to implement RCW 28A.320.125 in the most effective and efficient manner.