Arizona 2025 2025 Regular Session

Arizona House Bill HB2074 Comm Sub / Analysis

Filed 02/04/2025

                      	HB 2074 
Initials CH 	Page 1 	House Engrossed 
☐ Prop 105 (45 votes)     ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes)      ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note 
 
ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Fifty-seventh Legislature 
First Regular Session 
House: ED DPA 8-4-0-0 
 
HB 2074: school safety; proposals; assessments; plans 
Sponsor: Representative Gress, LD 4 
House Engrossed 
Overview 
Expands the costs supported by the School Safety Program (Program) to include school safety 
officers (SSOs), establishes a process for alternative Program proposals and subjects 
participating Program schools to emergency response plan and school safety assessment 
requirements. Requires a charter school to develop an emergency response plan. Establishes 
training requirements for officers on school campuses. Exempts school building blueprints 
and floor plans from public records.  
History 
The Program supports the costs of placing school resource officers (SROs), juvenile probation 
officers (JPOs), school counselors and school social workers on school campuses. A school 
district or charter school may apply to the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to 
participate in the Program for up to three fiscal years and, if approved to participate, may 
annually submit a modified spending plan for its approved program.  
When applying to participate in the Program, a school district or charter school must submit 
a proposal with a detailed description of school safety needs and, if the school district or 
charter school previously participated in the Program, information on the success and 
implementation of the most recent Program grant. A Program proposal for an SRO or JPO 
must also include a plan for a law-related education program and a plan to use trained SROs 
or JPOs. A Program proposal for a school social worker or school counselor must include a 
plan for implementing a school guidance and counseling program.  
ADE must review and administer Program proposals in cooperation with specified entities 
and individuals depending on the positions funded. ADE, subject to review and approval by 
the State Board of Education, must distribute monies to school districts and charter schools 
whose Program proposals are approved (A.R.S. § 15-154). 
In conjunction with local law enforcement and emergency response agencies, a school district 
governing board must develop an emergency response plan for each school in accordance with 
the minimum standards developed by ADE and the Department of Emergency and Military 
Affairs (DEMA). The plan must address how the school and emergency responders will 
communicate with and assist students with disabilities (A.R.S. § 15-341).  
Provisions 
Program Proposals and Requirements 
1. Expands the Program to support the costs of: 
a) placing SSOs on school campuses; and 
b) purchasing safety technology, safety training and infrastructure improvements for 
school campuses. (Sec. 2)    	HB 2074 
Initials CH 	Page 2 	House Engrossed 
2. Subjects a Program proposal for supporting the costs of placing SROs, JPOs or SSOs, or 
any combination, to the same statutory Program proposal requirements. (Sec. 2) 
3. Adds that a Program proposal for SROs, JPOs, SSOs, school counselors or school social 
workers must contain a plan to provide each school site's current school building 
blueprints, floor plans and school safety assessments to the local law enforcement agency, 
emergency medical services provider and fire department that provides services to the 
school site. (Sec. 2) 
4. Requires a Program proposal for SROs, JPOs or SSOs, or any combination, to contain a 
plan to train these officers on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, civil rights 
and adolescent mental health issues. (Sec. 2) 
5. Specifies that ADE must distribute Program monies to school districts and charter schools 
that are in compliance with requirements for Program proposals, emergency response 
plans and annual school safety assessments. (Sec. 2) 
6. Applies dispute resolution process requirements for a school district or charter school that 
received an SRO grant to a school district or charter school that received an SSO grant. 
(Sec. 2) 
7. Instructs ADE to cooperate with specified individuals to allow a law enforcement agency 
to assign an individual who was previously employed as a peace officer in Arizona and 
who retired in good standing to participate in the Program. (Sec. 4) 
8. Expands the definition of SRO to include an individual who: 
a) was previously employed as a peace officer in Arizona; 
b) retired in good standing; and 
c) is assigned to participate in the Program by a law enforcement agency. (Sec. 2) 
9. Defines SSO as an SRO who is working in an off-duty capacity. (Sec. 2) 
Alternative Program Proposals 
10. Allows a school district or charter school with an approved Program proposal that cannot 
place an SRO, JPO, SSO, school counselor or school social worker to submit an alternative 
Program proposal for supporting the costs of purchasing safety technology, safety training 
and infrastructure improvements for its school campuses. (Sec. 2) 
11. Details information that must be included in the alternative Program proposal. (Sec. 2) 
12. Directs ADE to review and administer the safety technology, safety training and 
infrastructure improvement Program proposals. (Sec. 2) 
13. Specifies ADE must use relevant crime statistics to assess the needs of each alternative 
Program proposal and may visit school districts and charter schools to verify the 
information in the Program proposal. (Sec. 2) 
14. Authorizes ADE to approve all or part of a safety technology, safety training or 
infrastructure improvement Program proposal. (Sec. 2) 
15. Includes approved alternative Program proposals in Program reporting requirements for 
ADE. (Sec. 2) 
Emergency Response Plans and School Safety Assessments 
16. Requires each school district and charter school that receives Program monies for an 
approved school safety program to: 
a) develop an emergency response plan for each school site; and    	HB 2074 
Initials CH 	Page 3 	House Engrossed 
b) contract with a school safety assessment provider from the list compiled by ADE to 
conduct a school safety assessment every five years. (Sec. 3) 
17. Authorizes a school district to use an emergency response plan developed by the school 
district governing board to satisfy the emergency response plan requirement. (Sec. 3) 
18. Instructs ADE to compile a list of approved school safety assessment providers and make 
the list available to school districts and charter schools that participate in the Program. 
(Sec. 3) 
19. Mandates ADE, every three years, conduct a safety assessment of randomly selected 
school districts and charter schools that are participating in the Program. (Sec. 3) 
20. Directs ADE to provide a copy of a school's safety assessment results to specified school 
officials. (Sec. 3) 
21. Requires a charter school, in conjunction with local law enforcement and emergency 
response agencies, to develop an emergency response plan for each school in accordance 
with ADE and DEMA minimum standards. (Sec. 5) 
22. Specifies any emergency response plan developed by a charter school must address how 
the school and emergency responders will communicate with and assist students with 
disabilities. (Sec. 4) 
Miscellaneous 
23. Mandates each school district or charter school that employs officers on school campuses 
to train each officer how to recognize and effectively interact with children with 
disabilities. (Sec. 1) 
24. Defines officer. (Sec. 1) 
25. Exempts school building blueprints and floor plans from public records and public record 
requests. (Sec. 2) 
26. Makes technical changes. (Sec. 2, 4) 
27. Makes conforming changes. (Sec. 2, 4)