The proposed bill would significantly update current statutes by establishing the School Safety Center within the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and assigning it specific responsibilities related to school safety. The new provisions would empower the Center to identify best practices, provide training for safety personnel, conduct risk assessments, and compile a list of approved safety assessment providers. Additionally, the Center would be responsible for developing emergency response plans and offering technical assistance to schools, thereby centralizing authority and resources for school safety initiatives. Furthermore, the bill would modify existing references to the "Department of Education" by replacing them with "school safety center" in various sections, effectively transferring responsibilities previously held by the department to the new Center. This includes the administration of program proposals for school resource officers and safety technology, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of these programs. Overall, the updates aim to streamline the administration of school safety initiatives and enhance the safety environment in Arizona schools.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 15-154, 15-154.02, 15-155, 15-249.20, 41-2534, 35-190, 15-341, 15-183