SB 1255 Initials CH/ML Page 1 House Engrossed ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session Senate: ED DP 4-2-1-0 | 3rd Read 18-11-1-0 House: ED DP 7-5-0-0 SB 1255: public schools; safety; reporting requirements Sponsor: Senator Bolick, LD 2 House Engrossed Overview Requires each public school and local education agency (LEA) to post a link on its website to the most recent information it reported for the Civil Rights Data Collection Survey (CRDC). Directs the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to annually publish a school safety report. History The United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) administers the mandatory biennial CRDC to public LEAs and schools that receive federal financial assistance. The CRDC collects information about student access to educational programs, activities and staff and school climate factors, such as student discipline and harassment or bullying incidents. The OCR uses the data to enforce civil rights statutes that prohibit discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex and disability (OCR and CRDC). Both school district governing boards (governing boards) and charter school governing bodies are required to prescribe policies for school personnel to report: 1) any suspected crime against a person or property that is a serious offense or that involves a deadly weapon, dangerous instrument or serious physical injury; and 2) any conduct that poses a threat of death or serious physical injury to a person on school property (A.R.S. § 15-153). A governing board must enforce policies that prohibit students from harassing, intimidating and bullying other students on school property, on school buses, at school bus stops, at school- sponsored activities and through the use of school technology. These policies must include requirements for the reporting, documenting and investigating of incidents of harassment, intimidation and bullying, as well as disciplinary procedures for students (A.R.S. § 15-341). Provisions 1. Instructs each public school and LEA to post a link on its website to the most recent information it reported to the OCR for the CRDC. (Sec. 1) 2. Asserts a public school or LEA: a) is not authorized to publish data protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974; and b) must redact the information posted on its website to ensure compliance. (Sec. 1) 3. Requires ADE, by December 15 annually, to submit a school safety report to specified individuals that contains the following information, as reported to the OCR for the CRDC: a) the number of school safety incidents; ☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note SB 1255 Initials CH/ML Page 2 House Engrossed b) the number of referrals to law enforcement; and c) school climate data. (Sec. 2) 4. Mandates ADE collect information for the school safety report from publicly available sources and the most recent information each public school reported to the OCR. (Sec. 2) 5. Requires ADE to post the report in a publicly accessible format on its website. (Sec. 2)