The bill, known as the "Protect Our Children and Response Act," aims to enhance school safety by establishing guidelines for the collection and delivery of school mapping data. It mandates that the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, in coordination with the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools, provide detailed mapping data of public schools to local law enforcement and emergency preparedness agencies. This data must include accurate blueprints, be compatible with existing software used by public safety agencies, and contain specific site labels for critical locations within school buildings. Additionally, the bill prohibits any modifications to the mapping data without corresponding updates to the software used by public safety agencies.

Furthermore, the bill includes provisions that exempt charter schools from certain statutory mandates, specifically regarding school mapping data, while also amending existing public records laws to ensure that blueprints and mapping data are not subject to public records requests. The implementation of these provisions is contingent upon a specific appropriation of funds by the Louisiana Legislature. The bill outlines a phased approach for public schools to begin collecting mapping data based on their enrollment numbers, ensuring that all schools are compliant within a specified timeframe.

Statutes affected:
SB126 Enrolled: 44:1(B)(9)
SB126 Act 425: 44:1(B)(9)