H75 - School Safety Funds, Programs, and Reports. (SL 2019-222)

Overview: S.L. 2019-222 appropriates funding and makes changes to programs and reports related to school safety.

Section 2.1: Census of School Resource Officers

Section 2.1 of S.L. 2019-222 directs the Center for Safer Schools (Center) to conduct an annual census of school resource officers located in each public school unit. The Center must submit this information to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by March 1 annually. The report must include the following information:

• The total number of school resource officers in the State and in each public school unit.
• Data regarding school resources officers' education levels, years as sworn law enforcement officers, and years as school resource officers.
• Training required of school resource officers and training actually completed by school resource officers, including training specific to the position of school resource officer and other advanced or additional training.
• The funding source for all school resource officers.
• The location of school resource officers, differentiated by grade levels and type of public school unit.
• The percentage of school resource officers assigned to more than one school.
• The law enforcement affiliation of school resource officers.

Section 3.1: School Safety Grant Programs

Section 3.1 of S.L. 2019-222 codifies grants for school resource officers and provides additional nonrecurring grants in 2019-2020 for students in crisis, training to increase school safety, and safety equipment in schools.

Section 4.1: School Mental Health Crisis Response Program

Section 4.1 of S.L. 2019-222 directs the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Center for Safer Schools, in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management, to develop a recommended program to facilitate the transfer of school mental health support personnel between school districts during or after a crisis. By no later than March 15, 2020, DPI is required to submit a report on the recommended program to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services that includes, at a minimum, all of the following information:

• A suggested protocol for receiving and relaying requests for additional school mental health support personnel.
• Any anticipated costs associated with temporary transfers of personnel.
• Information about any similar programs in other states.
• Any additional recommendations for improving how local school administrative units can share school mental health support personnel.

Section 5.1: School Mental Health Support Personnel Reports and Funds

Section 5.1 of S.L. 2019-222 requires annual local and statewide reports on differences in the number of school mental health support personnel in the State from year to year. Additionally, the section appropriates $20 million for the 2019-2020 fiscal year and $23 million for the 2020-2021 fiscal year to the Instructional Support Allotment, with the intent that these additional funds be used for additional school mental health support personnel.

Section 6.1: School Psychologists and School Counselor Position Study

Section 6.1 of S.L. 2019-222 directs the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to study and report on school psychologists and school counselor positions. The study and report must include a review of at least the following:

• The number of school psychologist and school counselor positions in the State and in each local school administrative unit (LEA).
• The allocation of school psychologists and school counselors in each LEA among schools within those units.
• The methodology each LEA uses to determine the allocation of school psychologists and school counselors within the LEA.
• The density of school psychologists and school counselors in each geographic region of the State.
• The number, percentage, and average salary of school psychologist and school counselor positions funded with State dollars and funded with non-State dollars.
• The extent to which LEAs provide school psychologists and school counselors with local salary supplements and the amounts of those salary supplements.
• Job descriptions posted for school psychologist and school counselor positions as compared to actual duties of school counselors.

DPI must submit a survey to LEAs no later than November 1, 2019, on any topics identified above that can be answered by an LEA. LEAs must respond to the survey by January 31, 2020. DPI must consolidate the information reported by the LEAs, provide context and analysis, as necessary, and report the results of its study to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee and the Fiscal Research Division no later than April 1, 2020.

This act became effective July 1, 2019, except as otherwise provided in the act.