March 24, 2023
Nyasha Smith, Secretary
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Secretary Smith,
Today, I am introducing the School Safety Enhancement Amendment Act of 2023. Please find
enclosed a signed copy of the legislation, which is co-introduced by Councilmembers Anita
Bonds, Janeese Lewis George, Kenyan R. McDuffie, Brianne K. Nadeau, and Robert C. White,
Jr.
This legislation would enhance school safety by:
• Directing the Office of the State Superintendent for Education (OSSE) to convene
stakeholders—including key education agencies and student advocates—to create
guidelines that would be used to review and enhance district school safety plans;
• Providing schools additional resources for school safety by establishing a new position of
School Safety Director at every school in the District, as well as an additional new
position—School Safety Assistant Director—at every high school;
• Establishing procedures for school safety teams to coordinate with MPD, including by
recognizing and delineating circumstances in which police involvement is appropriate,
such as when a school reports a crime of violence, dangerous crime, use or possession of
a firearm or destructive device on school campus or at a school event, a parental
kidnapping, or the violation of a restraining order; and
• Requiring the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice and the Deputy Mayor for
Education to create a more robust system for emergency response agencies to share
critical information about ongoing safety incidents with schools and child development
centers.
I understand that there is an ongoing debate about the future of School Resource Officers (SROs)
in District schools. This legislation does not amend current law regarding SROs; instead, it
focuses on delivering to school leaders what they have long requested: new resources to prevent
and respond to school safety incidents. Whether or not we move forward with the ongoing
drawdown of SROs, this legislation is necessary.
I look forward to working with my colleagues on the council and in the executive to meeting the
safety needs of our school communities, reducing the number of District students who become
justice involved, and improving our ability to respond in a coordinated and thoughtful manner to
safety incidents at District schools.
Please contact my Deputy Chief of Staff, Conor Shaw, at cshaw@dccouncil.gov if you have any
questions about this legislation.
Sincerely,
Zachary Parker
Ward 5 Councilmember
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2 __________________________ ______________________________
3 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George Councilmember Zachary Parker
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8 ___________________________ ______________________________
9 Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie
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14 ___________________________ ______________________________
15 Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. Councilmember Anita Bonds
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18 A BILL
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20 _________________________
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22 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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24 _________________________
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27 To enhance school safety in the District of Columbia by providing District schools with new full-
28 time school safety staff; supporting that staff with appropriate training to prevent and
29 respond to safety incidents; and improving the ability of schools and child education
30 centers to receive timely information about ongoing emergencies from law enforcement
31 and emergency response agencies.
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33 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
34 act may be cited as the “School Safety Enhancement Amendment Act of 2023.”
35 TITLE I. SCHOOL SAFETY COORDINATION
36 Sec. 101. Definitions.
37 For purposes of this title, the term:
38 (1) “Destructive device” shall have the same meaning as provided in section
39 101(7) of the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975, effective September 24, 1976 (D.C.
40 Law 1-85; D.C. Official Code § 7-2501.01(7)).
41 (2) “Circumstances appropriate for police involvement” means:
42 (A) A report of a “crime of violence” as that term is defined in D.C.
43 Official Code § 23-1331(4);
44 (B) A report of a “dangerous crime” as that term is defined in D.C.
45 Official Code § 23-1331(3);
46 (C) A report of a “parental kidnapping” pursuant to D.C. Official Code §
47 16-1022;
48 (D) The use or possession of a firearm or destructive device on school
49 property or at a school event;
50 (E) A credible threat to commit a crime of violence, a dangerous crime, or
51 an act of parental kidnapping on school property or at a school event; or
52 (F) The presence of a person on school property or at a school event who
53 is subject to:
54 (i) A temporary protection order or civil protection order;
55 (ii) A temporary or final anti-stalking order; or
56 (iii) An extreme risk protection order issued pursuant to Title X of
57 the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975, effective May 10, 2019 (D.C. Law 22-314; D.C.
58 Official Code § 7-2510.01 et seq.).
59 (G) any other circumstance identified in the school safety coordination
60 guidelines.
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61 (3) “Exclusion” shall have the same meaning as provided in section 201(6) of the
62 Attendance Accountability Amendment Act of 2013, effective August 25, 2018 (D.C. Law 22-
63 157; D.C. Official Code § 38-236.01(6)).
64 (4) “Firearm” shall have the same meaning as provided in section 101(9) of the
65 Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975, effective September 24, 1976 (D.C. Law 1-85; D.C.
66 Official Code § 7-2501.01(9)).
67 (5) “Local education agency” shall have the same meaning as provided in section
68 201(11) of the Attendance Accountability Amendment Act of 2013, effective August 25, 2018
69 (D.C. Law 22-157; D.C. Official Code § 38-236.01(11)).
70 (6) “Racial equity” means the elimination of racial disparities such that race no
71 longer predicts opportunities, outcomes, or the distribution of resources for residents of the
72 District, particularly for persons of color and Black residents;
73 (7) “School safety employee” means a school employee who is assigned to the
74 school safety team and who is tasked with responding to safety incidents within the school
75 community. A school safety employee may provide care, counseling, coaching, relationship
76 building, violence interruption and prevention, de-escalation and mediation services. A school
77 safety employee shall not be a librarian or teacher with classroom, special education, or similar
78 responsibilities.
79 (8) “School safety assistant director” means a school employee whose primary
80 role and responsibility is the safety of students and educators at a District high school. A school
81 safety director shall not be a security guard, school resource officer, or law enforcement officer.
82 A school safety assistant director shall report to the school safety director.
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 83 (9) “School safety director” means a school employee whose primary role and
84 responsibility is the safety of students and educators at a District school. A school safety director
85 shall not be a security guard, school resource officer, or law enforcement officer.
86 (10) “School safety coordination guidelines” means the guidelines established
87 pursuant to section 103.
88 (11) “School safety team” means the school safety director and school safety
89 employees at a school and includes, in the case of a high school, the assistant school safety
90 director. The term shall not include security guards, school resources officers, or law
91 enforcement officers.
92 (12) “Trauma informed services” means a service delivery approach that
93 recognizes and responds to the impacts of trauma with evidence-based supports and intervention,
94 emphasizes physical, psychological, and emotional safety for both providers of services and
95 survivors of trauma, and creates opportunities for survivors of trauma to rebuild a sense of
96 healing and empowerment.
97 (13) “Law enforcement officer” means:
98 (A) An officer or member of the Metropolitan Police Department
99 (“MPD”) or of any other police force operating in the District;
100 (B) An investigative officer or agent of the United States, including an
101 officer or agent of the Department of Homeland Security;
102 (C) An on-duty civilian employee of the MPD;
103 (D) An on-duty licensed special police officer;
104 (E) An on-duty licensed campus police officer;
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105 (F) An on-duty employee of the Department of Corrections or Department
106 of Youth Rehabilitation Services; or
107 (G) An on-duty employee of the Court Services and Offender Supervision
108 Agency, Pretrial Services Agency, or Family Court Social Services Division.
109 (14) “Restorative justice” means the use of reconciliation to build community,
110 manage conflict, and resolve tensions by repairing the harm caused by individuals toward
111 another and restoring their relationships.
112 (15) “Transformative justice” means a political framework and approach for
113 responding to violence, harm, and abuse. At its most basic, it seeks to respond to violence
114 without creating more violence and/or engaging in harm reduction to lessen the violence.
115 Sec. 102. School safety committee.
116 (a) The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (“OSSE”) shall establish a school
117 safety committee to develop evidence-based guidelines for re-envisioning school safety in the
118 District’s public and public charter schools and implementing the requirements of this act.
119 (b) The school safety committee shall be comprised of:
120 (1) A representative designated by the Deputy Mayor for Education;
121 (2) A representative designated by the State Board of Education;
122 (3) A representative designated by the Chancellor of the District of Columbia
123 Public Schools;
124 (4) A representative designated by the Public Charter School Board;
125 (5) A representative designated by the Washington Teachers’ Union;
126 (6) A representative designated by the Office of the Ombudsman for Public
127 Education;
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128 (7) A representative designated by the Office of the Student Advocate;
129 (8) Six representatives designated by the Chair of the Council committee with
130 jurisdiction over OSSE as follows:
131 (A) Four youth representatives affiliated with a student-led advocacy
132 organization who shall represent students living in each geographic quadrant in the District;
133 (B) One representative who shall be affiliated with a parent-led advocacy
134 organization; and
135 (C) One representative who shall be affiliated with an organization with
136 expertise relating to mental or behavioral health.
137 (c) The school safety committee shall be staffed by at least one full-time OSSE employee
138 and shall be charged with convening, managing, facilitating, and helping to execute the work of
139 the committee.
140 (d) OSSE may reconvene the school safety committee to consider and develop revisions
141 to the school safety coordination guidelines established pursuant to section 103.
142 Sec. 103. School safety coordination guidelines.
143 (a) By July 15, 2023, OSSE and the school safety committee shall promulgate school
144 safety coordination guidelines that shall establish requirements for a school safety plan,
145 including:
146 (1) A school building security and emergency operations plan;
147 (2) Evidence-based and trauma-informed approaches to achieve school safety that
148 improve student learning, safety, and wellbeing for students that can be executed by a member of
149 the school safety team, including:
150 (A) School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports;
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151 (B) Restorative justice programs and interventions;
152 (C) Violence interruption;
153 (D) Mediation; and
154 (E) Social and emotional learning programs.
155 (3) Methods of prevention and intervention that the school safety teams may
156 employ to minimize and respond to school safety incidents;
157 (4) Recommended approaches to student discipline that minimize reliance on
158 exclusion from school and law enforce response to student behavior, are aimed at addressing the
159 root causes of behavioral issues, and that ensure that students have access to appropriate mental
160 health, counseling, nutrition, and other services;
161 (5) Procedures for contacting and engaging with the Metropolitan Police
162 Department in circumstances appropriate for police involvement that ensure the physical safety,
163 mental health, and well-being of all students and school employees;
164 (6) Procedures for enhancing campus security without compromising the privacy
165 of students, including appropriate uses of security cameras and related technology to monitor and
166 respond to campus threats;
167 (7) Descriptions of the roles, responsibilities, and hiring qualifications of a school
168 safety director, a school safety assistant director, and a school safety employee as well as
169 standards for evaluating the performance of all individuals serving on a school safety team; and
170 (8) Policies and practices that promote racial equity and ensure equal access to
171 safe learning environments;
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172 (9) Best practices for engaging students and parents in each school community
173 about safety needs, a school’s response to an incident handled by a school safety team, and a
174 school’s response to a circumstance appropriate for police involvement;
175 (10) Requirements for reporting safety incidents to OSSE;
176 (11) Protocols for increasing school and community safety during and after school
177 dismissal, including plans and personnel to address traffic safety and pick-up procedures in
178 coordination with the safe routes to school division of the District Department of Transportation
179 and improvements needed to safe passage programming affiliated with a local education agency.
180 (b) The school safety committee shall consult with the following District agencies to
181 establish guidelines relating to school building security, traffic safety plans, pickup and dismissal
182 safety, emergency operations plans, and procedures for circumstances appropriate for police
183 involvement:
184 (1) Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice;
185 (2) Metropolitan Police Department;
186 (3) Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency;
187 (4) Department of Health;
188 (5) Department of Behavioral Health; and
189 (6) Department of Transportation.
190 (c) OSSE may identify, in writing, material deficiencies with a local education agency’s
191 school safety plan by referencing specific aspects of the school safety coordination guidelines
192 that have not been adequately implemented. OSSE shall notify the Mayor, the Chair of the
193 Council, and the Chair of the Council committee with jurisdiction over OSSE if a local education
194 agency fails to cure a materially deficient school safety plan within 60 calendar days.
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195 Sec. 104. School safety plans.
196 (a) By August 15, 2023, each local education agency shall develop a school safety plan in
197 coordination with each constituent school and in coordination with each school’s educators,
198 students, and parents by August 15, 2023. Each school safety plan shall meet the requirements of
199 the school safety coordination guidelines.
200 (b) Within 60 calendar days of any update to the school safety coordination guidelines, a
201 local education agency shall make conforming updates to its school safety plan.
202 (c) A local education agency shall update a School Safety Plan within 60 calendar days of
203 receiving notice of a material deficiency from OSSE.
204 (d) A local education agency shall implement the school safety plan in their constituent
205 schools. Implementation shall be coordinated with each constituent school.
206 (e) A local education agency and its constituent schools shall post, advertise, and hire
207 school safety directors for each campus after creating a school safety plan. A local education and
208 its constituent high schools shall post, advertise, and hire school safety assistant directors for
209 each campus after creating a school safety plan. A local education agency and its constituent
210 schools may designate additional personnel as school safety employees who shall serve on the
211 school safety team.
212 (f) Within 10 calendar days of establishing or modifying a school safety plan, a local
213 education agency shall transmit an electronic copy of its school safety plan to OSSE.
214 (g) Each local education agency shall be responsible for school safety team members
215 within their schools and shall:
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216 (1) Be responsible for issuing any Requests for Proposals (“RFPs”) for any school
217 safety-related contracts as well as for awarding, executing, administering, and funding any
218 contracts resulting from an RFP issued under this title;
219 (2) Oversee the hiring or contracting of school safety directors and school safety
220 assistant directors and the identification of other members of the school safety team;
221 (3) Provide ongoing professional development plans and support for school safety
222 directors, school safety assistant directors, school safety employees, their supervisors, and other
223 on-site pers