Assigned to ED AS PASSED BY COW
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1255
public schools; safety; reporting requirements
Purpose
Requires the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), by December 15, to annually
submit a school safety report that includes specified information reported to the U.S. Department
of Education Office of Civil Rights for the Civil Rights Data Collection survey (CRDC). Requires
each Arizona public school and local education agency (LEA) to post a link on its website the most
recent information reported to the U.S. Department of Education for the CRDC.
Background
A school district governing board (governing board) and charter school governing body must
prescribe and enforce policies and procedures for school personnel to report any: 1) suspected crime
against a person or property that is a serious offense or involves a deadly weapon, dangerous
instrument or serious physical injury; and 2) conduct that poses a threat of death or serious physical
injury to an employee, student or other person on the school property. The policies must include a
process for employees to document and report the conduct, including specifying the employees
responsible for making a report to a local law enforcement agency (A.R.S. § 15-153).
A governing board must prescribe and enforce policies and procedures to prohibit pupils
from harassing, intimidating and bullying other pupils, including: 1) a procedure for pupils, parents
and school district employees to confidentially report incidents of harassment, intimidation or
bullying to school officials; 2) a requirement that school district employees report in writing
suspected incidents of harassment, intimidation or bullying to the appropriate school official; and
3) a formal process for documenting reported incidents and providing for the confidentiality,
maintenance and disposition of the documentation (A.R.S. § 15-341).
The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights utilizes the CRDC for
administering and enforcing civil rights laws. The CRDC gathers data, including student
enrollment and student access to educational programs and services, most of which is
disaggregated by race or ethnicity, sex, English learner status and disability (U.S. Department of
Education).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
School Safety Report
1. Requires ADE, by December 15, to submit an annual school safety report to the Governor, the
President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and provide a copy FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1255
Page 2
of the report to the Secretary of State, that includes the following information, as reported to
the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights for the CDRC:
a) the number of school safety incidents;
b) the number of referrals to law enforcement; and
c) data regarding the school climate.
2. Requires ADE to collect the school safety report information from:
a) publicly available sources; and
b) the most recent information that each public school reported to the U.S. Department of
Education Office for Civil Rights.
3. Requires ADE to post the school safety report on the ADE website in a publicly accessible
format.
Public School and LEA Posting Requirements
4. Requires each Arizona public school and LEA to post a link on its website to the most recent
information that the public school or LEA reported to the U.S. Department of Education Office
for Civil Rights for the CRDC.
5. Specifies that a public school or LEA is not authorized to publish data that is protected under
the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.
6. Requires a public school or LEA that posts the information as outlined to redact protected
information to ensure compliance.
Miscellaneous
7. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole
1. Requires the annual school safety report to contain outlined data reported to the U.S.
Department of Education for the CRDC, rather than the number of specified types of physical
attacks reported at each Arizona school site.
2. Specifies that each public school and LEA must post a link on its website to the information
reported to the U.S. Department of Education for the CRDC.
3. Removes the requirement for ADE to establish a survey to gather information for the school
safety report.
4. Directs ADE to compile information for the school safety report from publicly available
sources and from the information that each public school or LEA reported to the U.S.
Department of Education for the CRDC.
Senate Action
ED 2/5/25 DP 4-2-1
Prepared by Senate Research
February 20, 2025
MH/ci