Bill Summaries: all (2017-2018 Session)

Tracking:
  • Summary date: Jun 4 2018 - View summary

    House amendment makes the following changes to 2nd edition. Amends GS 115C-105.52A, placing the onus on the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management, to collaborate with the Department of Public Instruction, Division of School Operations, and the Center for Safer Schools, to develop a facility vulnerability assessment tool for school safety. Previously, the Center for Safer Schools was directed to collaborate with the other departments. Adds new Section 5.(b1), amending GS 115C-105.49(a), requiring each local school administrative unit to report to the Center for Safer Schools the date and time of the annual school-wide tabletop exercise and drill for each school under the administrative unit's control.


  • Summary date: May 30 2018 - View summary

    House committee substitute makes the following changes to 1st edition. Deletes all provisions of the previous edition, except where indicated, and replaces it with the following. Makes conforming changes to the act's titles. 

    Part I

    Amends GS 115C-47, adding new subdivision (64), requiring local boards of education to require creation of peer-to-peer student support programs at all schools with grades six and higher. Encourages creation of support programs for other grade levels. 

    Amends GS 115C-316.1, adding new subdivision (c), requiring school counselors to coordinate and provide training for students in peer-to-peer student support programs that address areas such as conflict resolution, general health and wellness, and mentoring. Directs the Center for Safer Schools to support school counselors in the administration and delivery of peer-to-peer student support programs. 

    Part II

    Amends GS Chapter 115C, Article 8C, adding new section 115C-105.52A, titled Facility vulnerability assessments. Requires each local school administrative unit to require each school to complete a facility vulnerability assessment for each school building at least once annually. Directs the Center for Safer Schools, in collaboration with the Department of Public Instruction, Division of School Operations, and the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management, to develop a facility vulnerability assessment tool, to be used when completing facility vulnerability assessments. 

    Further amends GS 115C-105.49A(b) to require SRRMS to integrate any facility vulnerability assessments as part of the SRMP pursuant to GS 115C-105.52A whenever technically feasible. Directs the Center, in collaboration with Division of Public Instruction, Division of School Operations and Division of Emergency Management to develop the facility vulnerability assessment tool by January 15, 2019. Directs each local school administration unit to require each unit under its control to complete facility vulnerability assessment for each school building before the end of the 2018-19 school year.

    Part III
    Amends GS Chapter 115C, Article 8C, adding new section 115C-105.58, titled School resource officer reports. Requires each local school administrative unit to annually report in writing by September 15 to the Center for Safer Schools the number of school resource officers and the placement of each officer in the administrative unit. The report must include the source of funding and method of employment for each school resource officer position. Requires the Center for Safer Schools to provide annually by November 15 to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee an executive summary and the disaggregated data for each local school administrative unit regarding the information reported by the school administrations. 

    Part IV

    Amends GS Chapter 115C, Article 8C, adding new section 115C-105.59, defining a school resource officer as a law enforcement officer who is assigned to one or more public schools, at least 20 hours per week, to assist with school security, emergency preparedness and response, and any other responsibility assigned by the employer may SRO be employed by the local board of education or governing board of a public school, or by a local law enforcement agency. Requires all school resource officers to comply with any continuing education training requirements. A law enforcement officer who did not serve as a school resource officer during the 2018-19 school year must also complete initial training. Requires the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission and the North Carolina Sheriffs' Education and Training Standards Commission (Commission), in collaboration with the Center for Safer Schools, to establish initial training and continuing education standards for school resource officers. Standards must include diversity, tactical, and mental health training. Amends GS 17C-6(a) and GS 17E-4(a) to require the Commissions to establish initial training and continuing education training standards for school resource officers. Initial training standards must be established by January 15, 2019. This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to school resource officers employed beginning with the 2019-20 school year.  

    Part V

    The following provisions are effective July 1, 2019, and apply beginning with the 2019-20 school year.

    Codifies GS 115C-105.46, GS 115C-105.47A, and GS 115C-105.48 into Part 1 of Article 8C of GS Chapter 115C and entitles Part I as “Local Plans for Alternative Schools/Alternative Learning Programs.” Codifies the remaining portions of Article 8C into Part 2, entitled “Maintaining Safe and Orderly Schools.”

    Enacts new GS 115C-105.48A in Part 2, providing as follows. Defines local school administrative unit as: the local board of education of a local school administrative unit, the board of directors of a charter school, the board of directors of a regional school, the governing entity of a school providing elementary or secondary instruction operated by the State Board of Education or the University of North Carolina. Defines public secondary school as any of the following types of public school serving grades six or higher: a school under the control of a local board of education, a school under the control of the State Board of Education, a school under the control of the University of North Carolina, a charter school, or a regional school.

    Amends GS 115C-105.49A(b), as amended earlier in the act, to require that the Division of Emergency Management leverage the schematic diagrams of school facilities provided by local school administrative units as well as nonpublic schools (was, local school administrative units only) when constructing the SRRMS.

    Amends GS 115C-105.53(b) to allow nonpublic schools to use the standards developed by the Department of Instruction to assist in preparing their schematic diagrams.

    Amends GS 115C-218.75 by requiring charter schools to comply with the applicable requirements of Part 2 of Article 8C. Makes conforming repeals to GS 115C-218.75(b), concerning charter school risk management plans; (d), concerning charter school safety exercises; and (e), concerning providing charter school safety information to the Division of Emergency Management.

    Amends GS 115C-238.66 requiring regional schools to comply with the applicable requirements of Part 2 of Article 8C. Makes conforming repeals to GS 115C-238.66(7a), concerning school risk management plans for regional schools; (7b), concerning schematic diagrams and school crisis kits for regional schools; (7c), concerning school safety exercises at regional schools; and (7d), concerning regional schools providing safety information to the Division of Emergency Management.

    Amends GS 116-239.8 by requiring laboratory schools to comply with the applicable requirements of Part 2 of Article 8C. Makes conforming repeals of (b)(10-13) concerning laboratory school risk management plans, schematic diagrams and school crisis kits, school safety exercises, and providing safety information to the Division of Emergency Management.

    Amends GS 115C-75.9 by requiring innovative schools to comply with the applicable requirements of Part 2 of Article 8C.

    Enacts new GS 115C-150.16 requiring a school governed by Article 9C (Schools for Students with Visual and Hearing Impairments) to comply with the applicable requirements of Part 2 of Article 8C.

    Enacts new GS 116-69.2 requiring the North Carolina School of the Arts to comply with the applicable requirements of Part 2 of Article 8C.

    Amends GS 116-235 requiring the North Carolina School of Science and Math to comply with the applicable requirements of Part 2 of Article 8C.

    Retains changes to GS 115C-551 from the previous edition concerning private church school risk management plans, schematic diagrams and crisis kits, school safety exercises, and provision of school safety information to the Division of Emergency Management.

    Retains changes to GS 115C-559 from the previous edition concerning nonpublic school risk management plans, schematic diagrams and crisis kits, school safety exercises, and provision of school safety information to the Division of Emergency Management.

    Repeals GS 115C-105.51(g); defining public secondary school, if Senate Bill 99 (Appropriations Act of 2018) becomes law.

    Part VI

    Except as otherwise provided, effective when the act becomes law.


  • Summary date: May 16 2018 - View summary

    Sections 1-3

    Current law encourages charter schools, regional schools and UNC laboratory schools to adopt School Risk Management Plans (SRMPs); provide certain safety information to local law enforcement agencies and the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management (Division); and conduct school-wide safety exercises. This act makes the following changes to these laws concerning school risk management in charter schools (GS 115C-218.75), regional schools (GS 115C -238.66), and UNC laboratory schools (GS 116-239.8(b)).

    Requires charter schools, regional schools and laboratory schools (the schools) to adopt a SRMP relating to incidents of school violence, and to use the School Risk and Response Management System (SRRMS) established pursuant to GS 115C-105.49A. Requires the schools to provide local law enforcement agencies with (1) schematic diagrams, including digital schematic diagrams and (2) either keys to the main entrance of all school buildings or emergency access to key storage devices for all school buildings. Specifically identifies KNOX boxes as key storage devices that can be used for emergency access by local law enforcement. Requires the schools to provide law enforcement with necessary updates regarding schematic diagrams or access to buildings or key storage devices. Establishes that schematic diagrams are not public record.

    Requires the schools to hold a full school-wide tabletop exercise and drill based on the procedures documented in its SRMP at least once a year. Defines tabletop exercise to mean an exercise involving key personnel conducting simulated scenarios related to emergency planning. Specifically requires the schools to include a practice school lockdown due to an intruder on school grounds. Further, encourages the schools to hold a tabletop exercise and drill for multiple hazards included in its SRMP, and strongly encourages the schools to include local law enforcement and emergency management agencies in its tabletop exercises and drills (currently, the schools are encouraged to hold a school-wide lockdown exercise with local law enforcement and emergency management agencies at least once a year). Adds that the purpose of the tabletop exercises and drills is to (1) discuss simulated emergency situations in low-stress environment; (2) clarify roles, responsibilities, and overall logistics for dealing with an emergency; and (3) identify possible SRMP modifications needed. Requires the Division and the Center for Safer Schools to provide the schools guidance and recommendations on the types of multiple hazards to plan and respond to.

    Requires the schools to provide schematic diagrams, including digital schematic diagrams, and emergency response information as requested to the Division (currently, the schools are only encouraged to do so). Requires the schools to provide updated schematic diagrams and emergency response information when those updates are made. Directs the Division to ensure that the diagrams and emergency response information are securely stored and distributed as provided in the SRMP to first responders, emergency personnel, and school personnel.

    Makes conforming changes to GS 115C-218.75, GS 115C-238.66, and GS 116-239.8(b).

    Sections 4 and 5

    Current law encourages private church schools, school of religious charter, and qualified nonpublic schools to participate in State operated or sponsored programs on a voluntary basis. Adds to GS 115C-551 (concerning private church schools and schools of religious charter) and GS 115C-559 (concerning qualified nonpublic schools) to encourage these schools to adopt a SRMP relating to incidents of school violence, in coordination with local law enforcement agencies, and to use the SRRMS. Further encourages private church schools, schools of religious charter, and qualified nonpublic schools to (1) provide schematic diagrams and keys to the main entrance of school facilities to local law enforcement agencies, as well as implementing the provisions in GS 115C-105.52 (concerning the placement and contents of school crisis kits); (2) hold a full school-wide lockdown exercise with local law enforcements and emergency management agencies at least once a year; and (3) provide schematic diagrams and emergency response information to the Division. Provides that SRMPs and schematic diagrams are not public record. 

    Sections 6 and 7 

    Makes conforming changes to GS 115C-105.49A(b), providing for the Division to use the schematic diagrams provided by the schools, as well as the local administrative units, in constructing the SRRMS, and GS 115C-105.53(b), permitting the schools to use the standards and guidelines developed by the Division in preparing their schematic diagrams. 

    Section 8 

    Provides the act is effective July 1, 2019, and applies beginning with the 2019-20 school year.