2013 -- H 5941

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LC02121

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013

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A N A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS

     Introduced By: Representatives McNamara, Diaz, Azzinaro, Ruggiero, and Corvese

     Date Introduced: March 28, 2013

     Referred To: House Health, Education & Welfare

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Sections 16-21-23, 16-21-24 and 16-21-25 of the General Laws in Chapter

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16-21 entitled "Health and Safety of Pupils" are hereby amended to read as follows:

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     16-21-23. School safety plans -- School safety teams and school crisis response teams

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School safety plans -- School safety teams, school crisis response teams and school safety

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assessments. -- (a) Each school district of each town, city, and regional school department shall

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conduct a school safety assessment in conjunction with local police, fire, school safety team

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pursuant to general laws section 16-21-23 and any other expert it deems necessary. The

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assessment shall examine the current status of each school building safety and shall be performed

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within thirty (30) days of passage and every three (3) years thereafter. Assessments performed

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within a year of the date of passage satisfies this requirement. All meetings regarding the school

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safety assessment are not subject to the open meetings law pursuant to chapter 46 of title 42 and

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further documents produced including, but not limited to, meeting minutes and the school safety

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assessment are not subject to the access to public records law pursuant to chapter 2 of title 38.

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     (a)(b) The school committee of each town, city, and regional school department shall

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adopt in executive session a comprehensive school safety plan regarding crisis intervention,

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emergency response, and management. The plan shall be developed by a school safety team

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comprised of representatives of the school committee, representatives of student, teacher, and

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parent organizations, school safety personnel, school administration, and members of local law

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enforcement, fire, and emergency personnel. Members of the school safety team shall be

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appointed by the school committee and/or school superintendant of the town, city, or regional

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school district. In creating the school safety plan, the school safety team shall consult the model

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school safety plan developed by the department of elementary and secondary education pursuant

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to section 16-21-23.1.

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      (b)(c) The school crisis response team shall be comprised of those selected school

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personnel willing to serve as members of a psychological response team to address the

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psychological and emotional needs of the school community. , and may seek mental health

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resources from the department of elementary and secondary education. Members of the school

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crisis response team may coordinate mental health services for those students and school

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employees affected by acts of violence in the schools, using resources available through the

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department of elementary and secondary education.

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     16-21-24. Requirements of school safety plans, school emergency response plans,

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and school crisis response plans. -- (a) School safety plans, as required by this chapter, shall

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include and address, but not to be limited to, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and

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recovery. The school safety plans shall include, at a minimum, the following policies and

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procedures:

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      (1) Policies and procedures for responding to violence by students, teachers, other school

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personnel as well as visitors to the school;

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      (2) Policies and procedures for responding to acts of violence by students, teachers, other

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school personnel and visitors to the school;

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      (3) Appropriate prevention and intervention strategies which are based on data to target

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priority needs and which make use of effective actions based on currently accepted best practice;

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      (4) Collaborative arrangements with state and local law enforcement officials, designed

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to ensure that school safety officers and other security personnel are adequately trained, including

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being trained to de-escalate potentially violent situations, and are effectively and fairly recruited;

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      (5) Policies and procedures for contacting appropriate law enforcement officials and

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EMS/Fire, in the event of a violent incident;

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      (6) Policies and procedures for notification and activation of the school crisis response

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team;

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      (7) Policies and procedures for contacting parents, guardians, or persons in parental

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relation to the students of the city, town, or region in the event of a violent incident;

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      (8) Policies and procedures relating to school building security, including where

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appropriate the use of school safety officers and/or security devices or procedures;

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      (9) Policies and procedures for the dissemination of informative materials regarding the

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early detection of potentially violent behaviors, including but not limited to, the identification of

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family, community, and environmental factors, to teachers, administrators, school personnel,

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persons in parental relation to students of the city, town, or region students and other persons

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deemed appropriate to receive that information;

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      (10) Policies and procedures for annual school safety training and a review of the school

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crisis response plan for staff and students;

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      (11) Protocols for responding to bomb threats, hostage-takings, intrusions, and

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kidnappings;

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      (12) Strategies for improving communication among students and between students and

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staff and reporting of potentially violent incidents, such as the establishment of youth-run

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programs, peer mediation, conflict resolution, creating a forum or designating a mentor for

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students concerned with bullying or violence, and establishing anonymous reporting mechanisms

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for school violence;

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      (13) A description of the duties of hall monitors and any other school safety personnel,

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including the school crisis response team, and the training requirements of all personnel acting in

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a school security capacity;

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      (14) Policies and procedures for providing notice of threats of violence or harm to the

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student or school employee who is the subject of the threat. The policy shall define "threats of

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violence or harm" to include violent actions and threats of violent actions either individually or by

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groups, but shall not include conduct or comments that a reasonable person would not seriously

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consider to be a legitimate threat;

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      (15) Policies and procedures for disclosing information that is provided to the school

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administrators about a student's conduct, including, but not limited to, the student's prior

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disciplinary records, and history of violence, to classroom teachers, school staff, and school

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security, if they have been determined by the principal to have a legitimate need for the

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information in order to fulfill their professional responsibilities and for protecting such

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information from any further disclosure; and

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      (16) Procedures for determining whether or not any threats or conduct established in the

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policy may be grounds for discipline of the student. School districts, school committees, school

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officials, and school employees providing notice in good faith as required and consistent with the

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committee's policies adopted under this section are immune from any liability arising out of such

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notification.

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     (1) Appropriate prevention, mitigation, preparedness and intervention strategies which

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are based on data to target priority needs and which make use of effective actions based on

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currently accepted best practice and one developed, the appropriate parts of the state model plan

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pursuant to section 16-21-23.1 that include consistent, plain language and terminology

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     (2) Formalized collaborative arrangements with state and local law enforcement fire

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fighter officials, designed to ensure that school safety officers and other security personnel are

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adequately trained, including being trained to de-escalate potentially violent situations, and are

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effectively and fairly recruited;

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     (3) Policies and procedures relating to school building security, including where

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appropriate the use of school safety officers and/or security devices or procedures;

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     (4) Policies and procedures for annual school safety training and a review of the school

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crisis response plan for staff and students;

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     (5) Protocols for school personnel and students responding to bomb threats, hostage-

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takings, intrusions, and kidnappings that include consistent, plain language and terminology that

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is recommended by the model plan pursuant to section 16-21-23.1;

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     (6) Policies and procedures for responding to violence by students, teachers, other school

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personnel as well as visitors to the school that include consistent, plain language and terminology

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that is recommended by the model plan pursuant to section 16-21-23.1;

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     (7) Policies and procedures for responding to acts of violence by students, teachers, other

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school personnel and visitors to the school that include consistent, plain language and

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terminology that is recommended by the model plan pursuant to section 16-21-23.1;

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     (8) Policies and procedures for contacting appropriate law enforcement officials and

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EMS/Fire, in the event of a violent incident and that include consistent, plain language and

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terminology that is recommended by the model plan pursuant to section 16-21-23.1;

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     (9) Policies and procedures for notification and activation of the school crisis response

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team that include consistent, plain language and terminology that is recommended by the model

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plan pursuant to section 16-21-23.1;

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     (10) Policies and procedures for contacting parents, guardians, or persons in parental

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relation to the students of the city, town, or region in the event of a violent incident;

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     (11) Policies and procedures for the dissemination of informative materials regarding the

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early detection of potentially violent behaviors, including, but not limited to, the identification of

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family, community, and environmental factors, to teachers, administrators, school personnel,

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persons in parental relation to students of the city, town, or region students and other persons

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deemed appropriate to receive that information;

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     (12) Strategies for improving communication, including use of common, consistent plain

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language by school district officials, school officials and emergency responders, among students

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and between students and staff and reporting of potentially violent incidents, such as the

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establishment of youth-run programs, peer mediation, conflict resolution, creating a forum or

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designating a mentor for students concerned with bullying or violence, and establishing

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anonymous reporting mechanisms for school violence;

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     (13) A description of the duties of hail monitors and any other school safety personnel,

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including the school crisis response team, and the training requirements of all personnel acting in

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a school security capacity and policies and procedures for students, personnel who are in the

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hallway during a lockdown situation that include consistent language and terminology that is

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recommended by the department of elementary and secondary education;

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     (14) Policies and procedures for providing notice of threats of violence or harm to the

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student or school employee who is the subject of the threat. The policy shall define "threats of

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violence or harm" to include violent actions and threats of violent actions either individually or by

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groups, but shall not include conduct or comments that a reasonable person would not seriously

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consider to be a legitimate threat;

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     (15) Policies and procedures for disclosing information that is provided to the school

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administrators about a student's conduct, including, but not limited to, the student's prior

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disciplinary records, and history of violence, to classroom teachers, school staff, and school

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security, if they have been determined by the principal to have a legitimate need for the

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information in order to fulfill their professional responsibilities and for protecting such

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information from any further disclosure; and

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     (16) Procedures for determining whether or not any threats or conduct established in the

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policy may be grounds for discipline of the student. School districts, school committees, school

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officials, and school employees providing notice in good faith as required and consistent with the

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committee's policies adopted under this section are immune from any liability arising out of such

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notification.

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     (b) School safety plans, as required by this chapter, shall further include school

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emergency response plans specific to each school building contained within each city, town, or

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regional school district. , and shall be developed and approved in consultation with local police

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and fire. The state police shall provide consultation for those school districts that for whatever

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reason may not have access to local police. School emergency response plans shall include, and

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address, but not be limited to, the following elements:

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      (1) Policies and procedures for the safe evacuation of students, teachers, and other school

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personnel as well as visitors to the school in the event of a serious violent incident or other

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emergency, which shall include evacuation routes and shelter sites and procedures for addressing

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medical needs, transportation, and emergency notification to persons in parental relation to a

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student. For purposes of this subdivision, "serious violent incident" means an incident of violent

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criminal conduct that is, or appears to be, life threatening and warrants the evacuation of students

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and/or staff;

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      (2) Designation of an emergency response team comprised of school personnel, local law

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enforcement officials, and representatives from local regional and/or state emergency response

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agencies, other appropriate incident response teams including a school crisis response team, and a

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post-incident response team that includes appropriate school personnel, medical personnel,

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mental health counselors, and others who can assist the school community in coping with the

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aftermath of a violent incident;

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      (3) Procedures for assuring that crisis response and law enforcement officials have

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access to floor plans, blueprints, schematics, or other maps of the school interior and school

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grounds, and road maps of the immediate surrounding area;

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      (4) Establishment of internal and external communication systems in emergencies that

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include consistent, plain language and terminology that is recommended by the model plan

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pursuant to section 16-21-23.1;

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      (5) Definition and the formalization of the chain of command in a manner consistent

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with the national interagency incident management system/incident command system;

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      (6) Procedures for review and the conduct of drills and other exercises to test

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components of the emergency response plan, including use of checklists as described in section

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16-21-23.1; and

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      (7) Policies and procedures created in conjunction with local or state police for securing

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and restricting access to the crime scene in order to preserve evidence in cases of violent crimes

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on school property.

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     (8) Policies and procedures for ensuring timely access to mental health services for those

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students and school employees affected by a violent incident.

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     16-21-25. Review of school safety plans -- Waiver. -- (a) Each city, town, or regional

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department school safety plan and school emergency response plans shall be reviewed on an

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annual basis by the school committee chairperson (or allowed to be reviewed in executive

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session) and updated as appropriate.

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      (b) The commissioner of elementary and secondary education and school committee

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shall make each city, town, or regional department school safety plan and school emergency

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response plan available for public comment at least thirty (30) days prior to its adoption. All

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meetings of school safety teams shall comply with the open meetings law pursuant to chapter 46

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of title 42 and further documents produced by school safety teams are not subject to access to

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public records law pursuant to chapter 38-2.

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      (c) The commissioner of elementary and secondary education may grant a waiver of the

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requirements of sections 16-21-23 and 16-21-24 to any city, town, or regional school department

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for period of up to two (2) years upon a finding by the commissioner that the town, city, or

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regional district had adopted a comprehensive school safety plan or school emergency response

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plans which are in substantial compliance with the requirements of sections 16-21-23 and 16-21-

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24. Provided, however, no waiver shall extend beyond June 30, 2003.

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     SECTION 2. Chapter 16-21 of the General Laws entitled "Health and Safety of Pupils" is

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hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

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     16-21-23.1. Model school safety plans and checklists--Development and

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dissemination. -- (a) It shall be the duty of the department of elementary and secondary

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education to collaborate with the Rhode Island emergency management agency, state police, state

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fire marshal, the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities, and hospitals,

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and other safety officials to develop a model school safety plan to be consulted by school safety

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teams in accordance with section 16-21-23. This model plan shall be based on best practices in

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school safety planning and the department of elementary and secondary education shall

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communicate the plan electronically to all school committees and school safety teams in the state.

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     (b) It shall be the duty of the department of elementary and secondary education to

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develop and disseminate school safety checklists that school districts can use on a regular basis

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and at least annually to assess the strengths and weaknesses of school safety in accordance with

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section 16-21-24. The checklists shall incorporate best practices in school safety planning and the

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department of elementary and secondary education shall communicate the checklists

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electronically to all school committees and school safety teams in the state.

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     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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LC02121

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS

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     This act would require all school districts to conduct school safety assessments, and

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would also require the department of elementary and secondary education to develop a model

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school safety plan to be implemented by all school districts.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC02121

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