District Of Columbia 2025-2026 Regular Session

District Of Columbia Council Bill B26-0204 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
3	3	OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER BROOKE PINTO
4	4	THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
5	5	1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W., SUITE 106
6	6	WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004
7	7
8	8
9	9
10	10	March 24, 2025
11	11	Nyasha Howard , Secretary
12	12	Council of the District of Columbia
13	13	1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
14	14	Washington, DC 20004
15	15	Dear Secretary Howard ,
16	16	Today, along with Councilmember s Anita Bonds, Brianne K. Nadeau, Zachary Parker, and Charles
17	17	Allen, I am introducing the “Safe Passage Training and School Engagement Amendment Act of
18	18	2025.” This bill would enhance, standardize, and universalize training for Safe Passage
19	19	ambassadors by requiring monthly trainings in de-escalation and conflict resolution as well as
20	20	training on cultural competency and mental health, neurodivergence, and special needs to ensure
21	21	positive interactions with students. In addition, the bill
22	22	Following a 2016 report by the Safe Passage Working Group on the need for “safety- related
23	23	policies” for “Charter and District of Columbia Public School students” as they travel to school,
24	24	Council passed the Safe Streets for Students Act, enacted into law in 2023. The law puts into place
25	25	a cluster of programs seeking to assure the safe and secure travel of school children.
26	26	i
27	27	One of the
28	28	programs, Safe Passage, appoints Safe Passage a mbassadors—“trained and trusted adults from
29	29	community-based organizations”—to key geographic points around schools, supporting
30	30	community-building and ensuring secure and safe school-travel for students.
31	31	ii
32	32
33	33	The management of the program is a multilayered and complex coordination effort pinpointing 12
34	34	“priority areas” throughout the city. The program is operated by the Office of the Deputy Mayor
35	35	for Public Safey and Justice (DMPSJ) in concert with the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME),
36	36	community-based organizations (CBOs) , and school administrators and staff.
37	37	In conversation with advocates and community stakeholders, one consistent concern I hear is that
38	38	the training which Safe Passage ambassadors receive is outpaced by student needs on the ground.
39	39	De-escalation and conflict resolution trainings required by the bill will be designated as monthly
40	40	in order to ensure routine engagement, allow ambassadors to complement the work of violence -
41	41	interrupters, and permit an ongoing dialogue between ambassadors and CBOs on recurring issues
42	42	encountered in the line of work.
43	43	The bill would also require trainings on cultural competency and mental health, neurodivergence,
44	44	and special needs, not for ambassadors to diagnose conditions or administer specific kinds of care
45	45	but to be equipped with general guidance on how to interact positively with students of different
46	46	needs.
47	47
48	48	Last, the bill would require ambassadors to be trained on recognizing signs of abuse, neglect, and
49	49	domestic, intimate partner, or intra-familial violence. These trainings, as specified by the bill, will
50	50	help to equip ambassadors with the proper tool-set to address the situations they face.
51	51	The bill would also facilitate coordination between schools and Safe Passage ambassadors by
52	52	instituting at least two mandatory meetings per year , enhancing inter-communication and
53	53	coordination between Safe Passage ambassadors and school leadership on the particular needs of
54	54	a given student community. Strengthening the working relationship and contact between Safe
55	55	Passage ambassadors and school administrators will provide important opportunities to build buy-
56	56	in from both the school community and the ambassadors as they work to ensure safer passages for
57	57	students.
58	58	Should you have any questions about this legislation, please contact my Committee and Legislative
59	59	Director, Linn Groft , at lgroft@dccouncil.gov.
60	60	Thank you,
61	61
62	62	Brooke Pinto
63	63	Councilmember, Ward 2
64	64	Chairwoman, Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety
65	65	Council of the District of Columbia
66	66
67	67
68	68
69	69
70	70
71	71	i
72	72	Cf. RC21-0137, Correspondence from the Mayor- Safe Passage Report Working Group (Sep. 2016), available here; Committee
73	73	of the Whole, Report on Bill 24- 66, “Safe Streets for Students Amendment Act of 2022” (Dec. 6, 2022), available here
74	74	(“establish[ing] a Safe Passage program, a Safe Blocks program, a School Safety and Safe Passage Working Group to establish a
75	75	Safe Routes to School program”); ANC24-0060, ANC 7F Comments: Resolution 21-022 Supporting Safe Passage Legislation,
76	76	available here.
77	77	ii
78	78	Safe Passage Program, available here.
79	79	________________________ _____________________________ 1
80	80	Councilmember Anita Bonds Councilmember Brooke Pinto 2
81	81	3
82	82	4
83	83	_____________________________ _____________________________ 5
84	84	Councilmember Zachary Parker Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau 6
85	85	7
86	86	8
87	87	_____________________________ 9
88	88	Councilmember Charles Allen 10
89	89	11
90	90	12
91	91	13
92	92	A BILL 14
93	93	15
94	94	_________________________ 16
95	95	17
96	96	IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 18
97	97	19
98	98	_________________________ 20
99	99	21
100	100	22
101	101	To amend the School Proximity Traffic Calming Act of 2000 to add training requirements for 23
102	102	Safe Passage workers. 24
103	103	25
104	104	BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 26
105	105	act may be cited as the “Safe Passage Training and School Engagement Amendment Act of 27
106	106	2025”. 28
107	107	Sec. 2. Amended s ection 2b within section 2(b) of the School Proximity Traffic Calming 29
108	108	Act of 2000, effective March 10, 2023 (D.C. Law 24-285; 70 DCR 998) , is amended as follows: 30
109	109	(a) Subsection (d) is amended as follows: 31
110	110	(1) Paragraph (1)(D) is amended to read as follows: 32
111	111	“(D) Building relationships with school administrators, police personnel, 33
112	112	parents, and community residents by increasing their awareness of the Safe Blocks Program 34
113	113	whenever possible, including a mandatory bi -annual meeting between Safe Passage and Safe 35
114	114	Blocks personnel with the school administrators whose school routes are served by Safe Passage 36
115	115	Ambassadors; and”. 37
116	116	(2) Paragraph (2) is amended to read as follows: 38
117	117	“(2) Receive at least the following trainings, as properly administered and 39
118	118	recorded by the CBO: 40
119	119	"(A) Monthly bystander intervention training, including conflict resolution 41
120	120	and de-escalation techniques; 42
121	121	"(B) Cultural competency training, including training on racial , gender, 43
122	122	LGBTQIA+, and socioeconomic factors as related to implicit bias; 44
123	123	“(C) Training on mental health, neurodivergence, and special needs, not 45
124	124	to diagnose conditions or administer specific kinds of care but to have guidance on how to 46
125	125	interact positively with students of different needs; 47
126	126	“(D) Training on recognizing signs of abuse, neglect, and domestic, 48
127	127	intimate partner, or intra-familial violence; 49
128	128	"(E) Any other trainings required by the DME.”. 50
129	129	Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 51
130	130	The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 52
131	131	impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 53
132	132	approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1- 301.47a). 54
133	133	Sec. 4. Effective date. 55
134	134	This act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 56
135	135	Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30- day period of congressional review as 57
136	136	provided in section 602(c)(2)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved 58
137	137	December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1- 206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the 59
138	138	District of Columbia Register. 60