Indiana 2025 Regular Session

Indiana House Bill HB1398 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	Introduced Version
3	3	HOUSE BILL No. 1398
4	4	_____
5	5	DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL
6	6	Citations Affected: IC 10-21; IC 20-19-3-14.
7	7	Synopsis: Office of school safety. Establishes the office of school
8	8	safety (office) within the department of homeland security. Requires
9	9	the office to: (1) function as a central repository for best practices
10	10	regarding school safety; (2) establish certain school safety guidelines
11	11	and standards; and (3) monitor the implementation of school safety
12	12	legislation. Allows the office, at the request of a county school safety
13	13	commission, to: (1) review school safety plans; (2) provide onsite
14	14	safety reviews; and (3) provide guidance or assistance relating to
15	15	school safety matters. Requires the office to maintain a public website
16	16	containing certain information. Provides that the secured school safety
17	17	board must review school safety grant expenditures and submit an
18	18	annual report to the office. Creates certain responsibilities for
19	19	multi-disciplinary threat assessment teams upon receipt of a report of
20	20	a threat or threatening behavior. Repeals the division of school building
21	21	physical security and safety established within the department of
22	22	education.
23	23	Effective: July 1, 2025.
24	24	Davis, Criswell, Commons
25	25	January 13, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Veterans Affairs and Public
26	26	Safety.
27	27	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 Introduced
28	28	First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
29	29	PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
30	30	Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
31	31	additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
32	32	Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
33	33	provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
34	34	word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
35	35	a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
36	36	Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
37	37	between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
38	38	HOUSE BILL No. 1398
39	39	A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
40	40	public safety.
41	41	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
42	42	1 SECTION 1. IC 10-21-1-1, AS AMENDED BY P.L.150-2023,
43	43	2 SECTION 2, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
44	44	3 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 1. The following definitions apply throughout this
45	45	4 chapter:
46	46	5 (1) "Accredited nonpublic school" means a nonpublic school that:
47	47	6 (A) has voluntarily become accredited under IC 20-31-4.1; or
48	48	7 (B) is accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency
49	49	8 that is recognized by the state board of education.
50	50	9 (2) "Active event warning system" refers to a system that includes
51	51	10 services and technology that will notify available law enforcement
52	52	11 agencies in the area of a school building of a life threatening
53	53	12 emergency.
54	54	13 (3) "ADM" refers to average daily membership determined under
55	55	14 IC 20-43-4-2. In the case of a school corporation career and
56	56	15 technical education school described in IC 20-37-1-1, "ADM"
57	57	16 refers to the count on a full-time equivalency basis of students
58	58	17 attending the school on the date ADM is determined under
59	59	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 2
60	60	1 IC 20-43-4-2.
61	61	2 (4) "Board" refers to the secured school safety board established
62	62	3 by section 3 of this chapter.
63	63	4 (5) "Bullying prevention program" refers to a program that must
64	64	5 contain one (1) or more of the following components:
65	65	6 (A) Offers students and school personnel opportunities to
66	66	7 develop the skills and strategies to prevent bullying and
67	67	8 potential bullying situations in digital and physical spaces,
68	68	9 including the usage of research based models.
69	69	10 (B) Enables school personnel, including school safety
70	70	11 specialists, safe school committee members, and school
71	71	12 resource officers, to identify and acquire the programs,
72	72	13 technology software, resources, and training necessary
73	73	14 concerning the:
74	74	15 (i) development and implementation of bullying and
75	75	16 cyberbullying prevention programs and school violence,
76	76	17 human trafficking, and self-harm mitigation programs;
77	77	18 (ii) establishment of bullying and cyberbullying
78	78	19 investigation, intervention, and reporting procedures;
79	79	20 (iii) adoption of discipline rules that comply with
80	80	21 IC 20-33-8-13.5; and
81	81	22 (iv) integration of the program into wider school efforts,
82	82	23 including a school safety plan, to promote educational
83	83	24 progress and the physical safety and well-being of school
84	84	25 students, families, faculty, and staff.
85	85	26 (6) "County school safety commission" has the meaning set forth
86	86	27 in section 12 of this chapter.
87	87	28 (7) "Critical incidence digital mapping" means the digitized
88	88	29 mapping of a school building and school grounds to best assist
89	89	30 first responders in an emergency that must:
90	90	31 (A) include accurate floor plans overlaid on or current aerial
91	91	32 imagery of a school building or school plan with surrounding
92	92	33 school grounds;
93	93	34 (B) include site-specific labeling that matches:
94	94	35 (i) the structure of the school building, including room
95	95	36 labels, hallway names, room numbers, external doors,
96	96	37 interior doors, stairwell numbers, locations of hazardous
97	97	38 materials, key utility locations, key boxes, automated
98	98	39 external defibrillators, and trauma kits; and
99	99	40 (ii) the school grounds, including parking areas, athletic
100	100	41 fields, surrounding roads, and neighboring proprieties;
101	101	42 (C) be compatible with platforms and applications used by
102	102	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 3
103	103	1 local, state, and federal public safety agencies;
104	104	2 (D) be verified for accuracy through a walk through of a
105	105	3 school building and school grounds;
106	106	4 (E) not require the purchase of additional software for use;
107	107	5 (F) be accessible in a printable format;
108	108	6 (G) be shared with:
109	109	7 (i) the law enforcement agency and fire department that
110	110	8 have jurisdiction over the mapped school building; and
111	111	9 (ii) the statewide 911 system as described in
112	112	10 IC 36-8-16.7-22 through the public safety answer point, or
113	113	11 "PSAP", described in IC 36-8-16.7-20 that has jurisdiction
114	114	12 over the mapped school building; and
115	115	13 (H) be kept confidential and withheld from public disclosure.
116	116	14 (8) "Fund" refers to the Indiana secured school fund established
117	117	15 by section 2 of this chapter.
118	118	16 (9) "Law enforcement agency" refers to a state, local, or federal
119	119	17 agency or department that would respond to an emergency event
120	120	18 at a school, including both on duty and off duty officers within the
121	121	19 agency or department.
122	122	20 (10) "Multi-disciplinary threat assessment team" means a
123	123	21 multi-disciplinary threat assessment team described in section
124	124	22 17 of this chapter. group of individuals with expertise in school
125	125	23 physical security, school administration, educational instruction,
126	126	24 youth counseling, mental health and behavioral health, and law
127	127	25 enforcement established by the leadership of the school
128	128	26 corporation or charter school that may serve one (1) or more
129	129	27 schools, that must meet the following requirements:
130	130	28 (A) Be comprised of at least:
131	131	29 (i) a school safety specialist or an individual designated by
132	132	30 the school safety committee;
133	133	31 (ii) a member of a safe school committee;
134	134	32 (iii) a school building level administrator;
135	135	33 (iv) a school resource officer, if one (1) is either employed
136	136	34 by or assigned to the school corporation or charter school;
137	137	35 (v) an individual with expertise in special education; and
138	138	36 (vi) a school counselor or social worker.
139	139	37 (B) Conduct multi-disciplinary threat assessments that shall:
140	140	38 (i) provide guidance to students, faculty, and staff regarding
141	141	39 the recognition of threatening or aberrant behavior that may
142	142	40 represent a threat to the community, school, or self;
143	143	41 (ii) identify members of the school community to whom
144	144	42 threatening behavior should be reported;
145	145	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 4
146	146	1 (iii) establish procedures to assess, identify, and intervene
147	147	2 with individuals whose behavior may pose a threat to the
148	148	3 safety of school students, families, faculty, and staff; and
149	149	4 (iv) inform the adoption, implementation, and updating of
150	150	5 policies adopted by the school corporation or charter school,
151	151	6 including school safety plans and the policies of a safe
152	152	7 school committee for a particular school.
153	153	8 (11) "Office of school safety" refers to the office of school
154	154	9 safety established by section 1.5 of this chapter.
155	155	10 (11) (12) "Safe school committee" means a safe school committee
156	156	11 established under section 14 of this chapter.
157	157	12 (12) (13) "School corporation or charter school" refers to an
158	158	13 individual school corporation, a school corporation career and
159	159	14 technical education school described in IC 20-37-1-1, or a charter
160	160	15 school but also includes:
161	161	16 (A) a coalition of school corporations;
162	162	17 (B) a coalition of charter schools; or
163	163	18 (C) a coalition of both school corporations and charter schools;
164	164	19 that intend to jointly employ a school resource officer or to jointly
165	165	20 apply for a matching grant under this chapter, unless the context
166	166	21 clearly indicates otherwise.
167	167	22 (13) (14) "School official" refers to an employee of a school
168	168	23 corporation, charter school, or accredited nonpublic school who
169	169	24 has access to an active event warning system.
170	170	25 (14) (15) "School resource officer" has the meaning set forth in
171	171	26 IC 20-26-18.2-1.
172	172	27 (15) (16) "School safety plan" means the school safety plan
173	173	28 described in section 10 of this chapter.
174	174	29 (16) (17) "School safety specialist" means a school safety
175	175	30 specialist designated under section 9 of this chapter.
176	176	31 (17) (18) "Site vulnerability assessment" means an examination
177	177	32 of the physical safety, security, accessibility, and emergency
178	178	33 preparedness of buildings and grounds.
179	179	34 (18) (19) "Student safety management technology" refers to an
180	180	35 information technology platform and related services to improve
181	181	36 student safety by mitigating cyberbullying, school violence,
182	182	37 human trafficking, and self-harm.
183	183	38 SECTION 2. IC 10-21-1-1.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
184	184	39 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
185	185	40 1, 2025]: Sec. 1.5. (a) The office of school safety is established
186	186	41 within the department of homeland security to function as a
187	187	42 central repository for best practices, training standards,
188	188	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 5
189	189	1 prevention efforts, intervention efforts, emergency preparedness
190	190	2 planning, and compliance oversight in all matters regarding school
191	191	3 safety and security.
192	192	4 (b) The office of school safety shall do the following:
193	193	5 (1) Establish and maintain guidelines for best practices,
194	194	6 training standards, and compliance oversight in school safety
195	195	7 and security matters.
196	196	8 (2) Establish and maintain guidelines for using professional
197	197	9 architectural and engineering services to integrate physical
198	198	10 security improvements and safety practices in the
199	199	11 construction, renovation, repair, or alteration of a school
200	200	12 facility.
201	201	13 (3) Carry out the office's responsibilities with regards to the
202	202	14 school safety specialist training and certification program
203	203	15 established by section 13 of this chapter.
204	204	16 (4) Carry out the office's responsibilities under section 14 of
205	205	17 this chapter.
206	206	18 (5) Establish and maintain guidelines for emergency response
207	207	19 protocols in cooperation with other state agencies.
208	208	20 (6) Coordinate the office's response and recovery assistance
209	209	21 to a school in the event of a manmade or natural disaster.
210	210	22 (7) Provide information and guidance to assist county school
211	211	23 safety commissions in establishing mutual aid disaster
212	212	24 assistance agreements within the county.
213	213	25 (8) Establish and maintain guidelines, in consultation with the
214	214	26 department of homeland security and the Indiana criminal
215	215	27 justice institute, for developing and maintaining school safety
216	216	28 plans as described in sections 10 and 11 of this chapter.
217	217	29 (9) Assist the board in conducting the review and submitting
218	218	30 the report described in section 8 of this chapter.
219	219	31 (10) Study and collect information to integrate lessons learned
220	220	32 from previous school disasters throughout the country into
221	221	33 the curriculum of the school safety specialist training and
222	222	34 certification program established by section 13 of this chapter
223	223	35 and guidelines established under this subsection.
224	224	36 (11) Monitor the implementation of school safety legislation
225	225	37 by:
226	226	38 (A) evaluating the activities of county school safety
227	227	39 commissions in order to:
228	228	40 (i) provide guidance to school districts;
229	229	41 (ii) identify areas of noncompliance; and
230	230	42 (iii) provide mechanisms to achieve compliance;
231	231	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 6
232	232	1 (B) investigating any failures in incident responses on
233	233	2 school grounds by local law enforcement agencies and
234	234	3 school resource officers, including:
235	235	4 (i) identifying existing policies and procedures for active
236	236	5 shooter incidents on school premises and evaluating
237	237	6 compliance with such policies and procedures in the
238	238	7 execution of incident responses;
239	239	8 (ii) evaluating the extent to which any failures in policy,
240	240	9 procedure, or execution may contribute to an inability to
241	241	10 prevent deaths and injuries; and
242	242	11 (iii) making specific recommendations for improving law
243	243	12 enforcement and school resource officer responses to
244	244	13 active shooter incidents; and
245	245	14 (C) investigating any failures in interactions with
246	246	15 perpetrators preceding incidents of violence by:
247	247	16 (i) evaluating the extent to which any such failures
248	248	17 contributed to an inability to prevent deaths and
249	249	18 injuries; and
250	250	19 (ii) making specific recommendations for improving
251	251	20 communication and coordination among entities with
252	252	21 knowledge of indicators of risk or possible threats of
253	253	22 violence.
254	254	23 (c) The office of school safety may, upon request by a county
255	255	24 school safety commission:
256	256	25 (1) review a school safety plan;
257	257	26 (2) provide an onsite safety review for a school; and
258	258	27 (3) provide guidance or assistance relating to school safety
259	259	28 matters to the county school safety commission.
260	260	29 (d) The office of school safety shall maintain a public website
261	261	30 that contains:
262	262	31 (1) the guidelines established by the office under subsection
263	263	32 (b)(1); and
264	264	33 (2) any other information the office determines may be
265	265	34 necessary to carry out the office's duties or responsibilities
266	266	35 under this section.
267	267	36 SECTION 3. IC 10-21-1-3, AS AMENDED BY P.L.43-2021,
268	268	37 SECTION 34, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
269	269	38 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 3. (a) The secured school safety board is
270	270	39 established to do the following:
271	271	40 (1) Approve or disapprove applications for matching grants to
272	272	41 fund programs described in section 2(a)(1) of this chapter and
273	273	42 grants described in section 2(a)(2) of this chapter to fund the
274	274	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 7
275	275	1 initial set up costs for an active event warning system.
276	276	2 (2) Review school safety grant expenditures and evaluate the
277	277	3 use of grant funds based on:
278	278	4 (A) recommendations from the office of school safety;
279	279	5 (B) recommendations of law enforcement; and
280	280	6 (C) return on investment analysis.
281	281	7 (3) Submit an annual report to the office of school safety
282	282	8 concerning the use of grant funds under subdivision (2).
283	283	9 (b) The board consists of seven (7) members appointed as follows:
284	284	10 (1) The executive director of the department of homeland security
285	285	11 or the executive director's designee. The executive director of the
286	286	12 department of homeland security or the executive director's
287	287	13 designee serves as the chairperson of the board.
288	288	14 (2) The attorney general or the attorney general's designee.
289	289	15 (3) The superintendent of the state police department or the
290	290	16 superintendent's designee.
291	291	17 (4) A local law enforcement officer appointed by the governor.
292	292	18 (5) The secretary of education or the secretary's designee.
293	293	19 (6) The director of the criminal justice institute or the director's
294	294	20 designee.
295	295	21 (7) An employee of a local school corporation or a charter school
296	296	22 appointed by the governor.
297	297	23 (c) The board shall establish criteria to be used in evaluating
298	298	24 applications for grants from the fund. These criteria must:
299	299	25 (1) be consistent with the fund's goals; and
300	300	26 (2) provide for an equitable distribution of grants to school
301	301	27 corporations, charter schools, and accredited nonpublic schools
302	302	28 located throughout Indiana.
303	303	29 SECTION 4. IC 10-21-1-10, AS AMENDED BY P.L.135-2024,
304	304	30 SECTION 1, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
305	305	31 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 10. (a) A school corporation shall develop a
306	306	32 school safety plan in accordance with subsection (c) for review as
307	307	33 described in section 11 of this chapter.
308	308	34 (b) Each charter school shall develop a school safety plan in
309	309	35 accordance with subsection (c) for review as described in section 11 of
310	310	36 this chapter. A charter school in operation on July 1, 2023, shall
311	311	37 comply with this subsection on or before July 1, 2024.
312	312	38 (c) The school safety plan:
313	313	39 (1) must be developed by a school safety specialist and the
314	314	40 school's safe school committee, including a school resource
315	315	41 officer if one (1) is employed by the school corporation or charter
316	316	42 school, in consultation with the:
317	317	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 8
318	318	1 (A) law enforcement agency; and
319	319	2 (B) fire department;
320	320	3 that have jurisdiction over the particular school building;
321	321	4 (2) must:
322	322	5 (A) protect against outside and internal threats to the physical
323	323	6 safety of students, faculty, staff, and the public, including
324	324	7 unsafe conditions, crime prevention, school violence, bullying
325	325	8 and cyberbullying, criminal organization activity, child abuse
326	326	9 and child sexual abuse, mental health and behavioral health,
327	327	10 suicide awareness and prevention, violence prevention and
328	328	11 training, situational awareness, and other issues that prevent
329	329	12 the maintenance of a safe school;
330	330	13 (B) prevent unauthorized access to school property and
331	331	14 interior areas or rooms, including the management of
332	332	15 authorized visitors on school property, before, during, and
333	333	16 after regular school hours;
334	334	17 (C) secure schools against natural and manmade disasters,
335	335	18 including all emergency preparedness drill requirements set
336	336	19 forth in IC 20-34-3-20;
337	337	20 (D) establish an armed intruder drill protocol that:
338	338	21 (i) provides accommodations for students who have mobility
339	339	22 restrictions, sensory needs, or auditory or visual limitations;
340	340	23 (ii) emphasizes the practical nature of the drill;
341	341	24 (iii) provides access to mental health services on school
342	342	25 grounds following the conclusion of a drill;
343	343	26 (iv) provides advance notice of a drill to parents or legal
344	344	27 guardians of students who attend the school; and
345	345	28 (v) provides alternative exercises for students who are
346	346	29 unable to participate in a drill;
347	347	30 (E) include a site vulnerability assessment for each school
348	348	31 building;
349	349	32 (F) not later than July 1, 2025, include the establishment of a
350	350	33 multi-disciplinary threat assessment team described in section
351	351	34 17 of this chapter;
352	352	35 (G) include measures to expedite notification of first
353	353	36 responders and access to school property for first responders;
354	354	37 and
355	355	38 (H) include any additional requirements required by the
356	356	39 Indiana state board of education;
357	357	40 (3) must be provided to a member of the board if a member
358	358	41 requests the school safety plan;
359	359	42 (4) must be available for inspection by the department of
360	360	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 9
361	361	1 education's division of school building physical security and
362	362	2 safety (as established by IC 20-19-3-14); office of school safety;
363	363	3 (5) must be provided to the law enforcement agency and the fire
364	364	4 department that have jurisdiction over the school corporation or
365	365	5 charter school;
366	366	6 (6) must include an attestation that:
367	367	7 (A) a copy of the floor plans for each building located on the
368	368	8 school's property were provided to the law enforcement agency
369	369	9 and the fire department that have jurisdiction over the school
370	370	10 corporation or charter school that clearly indicates each
371	371	11 entrance and exit, the interior rooms and hallways, and the
372	372	12 location of any hazardous materials located in the building; or
373	373	13 (B) the school corporation or charter school has conducted
374	374	14 critical incidence digital mapping for each school building
375	375	15 within the school corporation or the buildings that are operated
376	376	16 by a charter school, including providing the critical incidence
377	377	17 digital mapping information to:
378	378	18 (i) the law enforcement agency and fire department that
379	379	19 have jurisdiction over the mapped school buildings; and
380	380	20 (ii) the statewide 911 system described in IC 36-8-16.7-22
381	381	21 through the public safety answer point, or "PSAP",
382	382	22 described in IC 36-8-16.7-20 that has jurisdiction over the
383	383	23 mapped school buildings; and
384	384	24 (7) must be filed with the county school safety commission under
385	385	25 section 12 of this chapter having jurisdiction over the school
386	386	26 corporation or charter school.
387	387	27 (d) For purposes of IC 5-14-3, the entities specified in subsection (c)
388	388	28 that receive information under this section shall keep the information
389	389	29 compiled and retained under this section confidential and shall
390	390	30 withhold the information from public disclosure.
391	391	31 SECTION 5. IC 10-21-1-12, AS AMENDED BY P.L.148-2024,
392	392	32 SECTION 7, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
393	393	33 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 12. (a) Not later than December 31, 2023, a
394	394	34 county shall establish a county school safety commission. Unless
395	395	35 otherwise specified in subsection (b)(1) through (b)(11), the members
396	396	36 described in subsection (b) are appointed by the school corporation
397	397	37 having the largest ADM (as defined in IC 20-18-2-2), as determined in
398	398	38 the fall count of ADM in the school year ending in the current calendar
399	399	39 year.
400	400	40 (b) The members of the commission are as follows:
401	401	41 (1) A school safety specialist for each school corporation located
402	402	42 in whole or in part in the county.
403	403	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 10
404	404	1 (2) The judge of the court having juvenile jurisdiction in the
405	405	2 county or the judge's designee.
406	406	3 (3) The sheriff of the county or the sheriff's designee.
407	407	4 (4) The chief officer of every other law enforcement agency in the
408	408	5 county, or the chief officer's designee.
409	409	6 (5) A representative of the juvenile probation system, appointed
410	410	7 by the judge described in subdivision (2).
411	411	8 (6) Representatives of community agencies that work with
412	412	9 children within the county.
413	413	10 (7) A representative of the Indiana state police district that serves
414	414	11 the county, appointed by the Indiana state police.
415	415	12 (8) A prosecuting attorney or deputy prosecuting attorney who
416	416	13 specializes in the prosecution of juveniles, appointed by the
417	417	14 prosecuting attorney.
418	418	15 (9) A school safety specialist of a charter school representing the
419	419	16 interests and viewpoints of charter schools within the
420	420	17 commission's jurisdiction if at least one (1) charter school within
421	421	18 the commission's jurisdiction requests to participate.
422	422	19 (10) A school safety specialist of an accredited nonpublic school
423	423	20 representing the interests and viewpoints of accredited nonpublic
424	424	21 schools within the commission's jurisdiction if at least one (1)
425	425	22 accredited nonpublic school requests to participate.
426	426	23 (11) Other appropriate individuals selected by the commission.
427	427	24 (c) Once a commission is established, the school safety specialist of
428	428	25 the school corporation having the largest ADM (as defined in
429	429	26 IC 20-18-2-2), as determined in the fall count of ADM in the school
430	430	27 year ending in the current calendar year, in the county shall convene
431	431	28 the initial meeting of the commission.
432	432	29 (d) The members shall annually elect a chairperson.
433	433	30 (e) A commission shall perform the following duties:
434	434	31 (1) Periodically perform a cumulative analysis of school safety
435	435	32 needs within the county.
436	436	33 (2) Coordinate and make recommendations for the following:
437	437	34 (A) Prevention of juvenile offenses and improving the
438	438	35 reporting of juvenile offenses within the schools.
439	439	36 (B) Proposals for identifying and assessing children who are
440	440	37 at high risk of experiencing a mental health or behavioral
441	441	38 health crisis or becoming juvenile offenders.
442	442	39 (C) Methods to meet the educational needs of children who
443	443	40 have been detained as juvenile offenders.
444	444	41 (D) Methods to improve communications among agencies that
445	445	42 work with children.
446	446	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 11
447	447	1 (E) Methods to improve school security and emergency
448	448	2 preparedness.
449	449	3 (F) Additional equipment or personnel that are necessary to
450	450	4 carry out school safety plans.
451	451	5 (G) Pooling resources, combining purchases, using shared
452	452	6 administrative services, or collaborating among participating
453	453	7 school corporations, school corporation career and technical
454	454	8 education schools described in IC 20-37-1-1, and charter
455	455	9 schools to improve the maintenance of safe schools.
456	456	10 (H) Implementing best practices and procedures to use critical
457	457	11 incidence digital mapping in the event of an emergency within
458	458	12 the county.
459	459	13 (I) Any other topic the commission considers necessary to
460	460	14 improve school safety within the commission's jurisdiction.
461	461	15 (3) Provide assistance to school safety specialists and school
462	462	16 resource officers within the commission's jurisdiction in
463	463	17 developing and:
464	464	18 (A) implementing school safety plans; and
465	465	19 (B) requesting grants from the fund.
466	466	20 (4) Assist accredited nonpublic schools within the commission's
467	467	21 jurisdiction that voluntarily submit a school safety plan or a local
468	468	22 school safety and emergency plan (described in IC 20-34-3-23) to
469	469	23 the commission seeking assistance in carrying out the school
470	470	24 safety plan.
471	471	25 (f) The affirmative votes of a majority of the voting members of the
472	472	26 commission are required for the commission to take action on a
473	473	27 measure.
474	474	28 (g) A commission shall receive the school safety plans for the
475	475	29 school corporations and charter schools located in the county.
476	476	30 (h) A commission may receive from an accredited nonpublic school
477	477	31 within the commission's jurisdiction a school safety plan or a local
478	478	32 school safety and emergency plan described in IC 20-34-3-23.
479	479	33 (i) The commission shall keep the school safety plans compiled and
480	480	34 retained under this section confidential and shall withhold the
481	481	35 information from public disclosure.
482	482	36 (j) The commission may share the school safety plans under
483	483	37 subsections (g) and (h) with law enforcement and first responder
484	484	38 agencies that have jurisdiction over the school corporation, charter
485	485	39 school, or accredited nonpublic school. For the purposes of IC 5-14-3,
486	486	40 the entities receiving a school safety plan under this subsection shall
487	487	41 keep information compiled and retained under subsections (g) and (h)
488	488	42 confidential and shall withhold the information from public disclosure.
489	489	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 12
490	490	1 (k) A commission shall annually submit to the board office of
491	491	2 school safety on a date established by the board: office:
492	492	3 (1) meeting minutes;
493	493	4 (2) any meeting agenda materials directly related to taking action
494	494	5 on a measure under this section; and
495	495	6 (3) a brief annual summary of its activities and accomplishments.
496	496	7 SECTION 6. IC 10-21-1-13, AS ADDED BY P.L.150-2023,
497	497	8 SECTION 14, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
498	498	9 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 13. (a) The school safety specialist training and
499	499	10 certification program is established.
500	500	11 (b) The school safety specialist training and certification program
501	501	12 shall provide:
502	502	13 (1) annual training sessions, which may be conducted through
503	503	14 distance learning or at regional centers; and
504	504	15 (2) information concerning best practices and available resources;
505	505	16 for school safety specialists and county school safety commissions.
506	506	17 (c) The department of education, office of school safety, in
507	507	18 consultation with the board, shall do the following:
508	508	19 (1) Assemble an advisory group of school safety specialists from
509	509	20 around the state to make recommendations concerning the
510	510	21 curriculum and standards for school safety specialist training.
511	511	22 (2) Develop an appropriate curriculum and the standards for the
512	512	23 school safety specialist training and certification program. The
513	513	24 department of education office of school safety may consult with
514	514	25 national school safety experts in developing the curriculum and
515	515	26 standards. The curriculum developed under this subdivision must
516	516	27 include training in:
517	517	28 (A) identifying, preventing, and intervening in bullying and
518	518	29 cyberbullying;
519	519	30 (B) identifying, preventing, and intervening in criminal
520	520	31 organization activity;
521	521	32 (C) identifying, preventing, and intervening in actions by a
522	522	33 person who is present on school property with the intent to
523	523	34 harm another person;
524	524	35 (D) developing and implementing a school safety plan in
525	525	36 accordance with this chapter;
526	526	37 (E) using a county school safety commission to improve
527	527	38 school safety and emergency preparedness; and
528	528	39 (F) using safe school committees to improve safety and
529	529	40 emergency preparedness for each school building.
530	530	41 (3) Administer the school safety specialist training and
531	531	42 certification program, including the following duties:
532	532	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 13
533	533	1 (A) Establish a school safety specialist certificate for
534	534	2 candidates eligible under section 9 of this chapter who have
535	535	3 successfully completed the training program.
536	536	4 (B) Review the qualifications of each candidate, determine
537	537	5 their eligibility for certification, and present a certificate to
538	538	6 each school safety specialist eligible for certification.
539	539	7 SECTION 7. IC 10-21-1-14, AS AMENDED BY P.L.135-2024,
540	540	8 SECTION 2, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
541	541	9 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 14. (a) Each school operated by a school
542	542	10 corporation shall establish a safe school committee. The committee
543	543	11 may be a subcommittee of the committee that develops the strategic
544	544	12 and continuous school improvement and achievement plan under
545	545	13 IC 20-31-5. Each committee may include at least one (1) member who
546	546	14 is a member of the support staff of the school or school corporation
547	547	15 career and technical education school.
548	548	16 (b) Each school operated by a charter school shall establish a safe
549	549	17 school committee. A charter school in operation on July 1, 2023, shall
550	550	18 comply with this subsection not later than July 1, 2024.
551	551	19 (c) The safe school committee shall actively participate in and assist
552	552	20 with the development of the school safety plan.
553	553	21 (d) The department of education, office of school safety, the school
554	554	22 corporation's or charter school's school safety specialist or specialists,
555	555	23 and a school resource officer, if one (1) is employed by the school
556	556	24 corporation or charter school, shall provide materials and guidelines to
557	557	25 assist a safe school committee in developing a policy for a particular
558	558	26 school that addresses the following issues:
559	559	27 (1) Implementation of the school safety plan.
560	560	28 (2) Addressing outside and internal threats to the physical safety
561	561	29 of students, faculty, staff, and the public, including unsafe
562	562	30 conditions, crime prevention, school violence, bullying and
563	563	31 cyberbullying, criminal organization activity, child abuse and
564	564	32 child sexual abuse, mental health and behavioral health, suicide
565	565	33 awareness and prevention, violence prevention and training,
566	566	34 situational awareness, and other issues that prevent the
567	567	35 maintenance of a safe school.
568	568	36 (3) Addressing the professional development needs for faculty
569	569	37 and staff to implement methods that decrease problems identified
570	570	38 under subdivision (2).
571	571	39 (4) Identifying and implementing methods to encourage:
572	572	40 (A) involvement by the community, families, and students;
573	573	41 (B) development of relationships between students and school
574	574	42 faculty and staff; and
575	575	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 14
576	576	1 (C) use of problem solving teams.
577	577	2 (5) Consideration of the effect of armed intruder drills on the
578	578	3 safety and mental health of students, faculty, and staff.
579	579	4 (e) The guidelines developed under subsection (d) must include age
580	580	5 appropriate, trauma informed, evidence based information (as defined
581	581	6 in 34 U.S.C. 10554(4)) that assists school corporations or charter
582	582	7 schools and safe school committees in:
583	583	8 (1) developing and implementing bullying and cyberbullying
584	584	9 prevention programs;
585	585	10 (2) establishing investigation and reporting procedures related to
586	586	11 bullying and cyberbullying; and
587	587	12 (3) adopting discipline rules that comply with IC 20-33-8-13.5.
588	588	13 (f) In addition to developing guidelines under subsection (d), the
589	589	14 office of school safety, in conjunction with the department of
590	590	15 education, shall establish categories of types of bullying incidents to
591	591	16 allow school corporations to use the categories in making reports under
592	592	17 IC 20-20-8-8 (before its repeal) and IC 20-34-6-1.
593	593	18 (g) The materials and guidelines provided under subsection (d) must
594	594	19 include the model educational materials and model response policies
595	595	20 and reporting procedures on child abuse and child sexual abuse
596	596	21 developed or identified under IC 20-19-3-11.
597	597	22 SECTION 8. IC 10-21-1-15, AS ADDED BY P.L.150-2023,
598	598	23 SECTION 16, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
599	599	24 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 15. An accredited nonpublic school may do one
600	600	25 (1) or more of the following:
601	601	26 (1) Designate one (1) or more individuals to obtain school safety
602	602	27 specialist certification under section 13 of this chapter to perform
603	603	28 school safety specialist duties under this chapter.
604	604	29 (2) Establish a school safety plan in accordance with section 10
605	605	30 of this chapter.
606	606	31 (3) Establish a safe school committee.
607	607	32 (4) Submit a school safety plan to the county school safety
608	608	33 commission having jurisdiction over the accredited nonpublic
609	609	34 school.
610	610	35 (5) Request to join the county school safety commission having
611	611	36 jurisdiction over the accredited nonpublic school or be
612	612	37 represented by another accredited nonpublic school's school
613	613	38 safety specialist on the same commission.
614	614	39 (6) Request general guidance relating to school safety matters
615	615	40 from one (1) or more of the following:
616	616	41 (A) The board. office of school safety.
617	617	42 (B) The department of education.
618	618	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 15
619	619	1 (C) The department of homeland security.
620	620	2 (D) (C) The county school safety commission having
621	621	3 jurisdiction over the accredited nonpublic school.
622	622	4 SECTION 9. IC 10-21-1-17 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
623	623	5 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
624	624	6 1, 2025]: Sec. 17. (a) As used in this section, "multi-disciplinary
625	625	7 threat assessment team" means a group of individuals with
626	626	8 expertise in school physical security, school administration,
627	627	9 educational instruction, youth counseling, mental health and
628	628	10 behavioral health, and law enforcement.
629	629	11 (b) A multi-disciplinary threat assessment team must do the
630	630	12 following:
631	631	13 (1) Be comprised of at least:
632	632	14 (A) a school safety specialist or an individual designated by
633	633	15 the school safety committee;
634	634	16 (B) a member of a safe school committee;
635	635	17 (C) a school building level administrator;
636	636	18 (D) a school resource officer, if one (1) is either employed
637	637	19 by or assigned to the school corporation or charter school;
638	638	20 (E) an individual with expertise in special education; and
639	639	21 (F) a school counselor or social worker.
640	640	22 (2) Conduct multi-disciplinary threat assessments that:
641	641	23 (A) provide guidance to students, faculty, and staff
642	642	24 regarding the recognition of threatening or aberrant
643	643	25 behavior that may represent a threat to the community,
644	644	26 school, or self;
645	645	27 (B) identify members of the school community to whom
646	646	28 threatening behavior should be reported;
647	647	29 (C) establish procedures to assess, identify, and intervene
648	648	30 with individuals whose behavior may pose a threat to the
649	649	31 safety of school students, families, faculty, and staff;
650	650	32 (D) establish procedures to rapidly review the immediacy
651	651	33 of a reported threat or threatening behavior to determine
652	652	34 an appropriate school response, including mental health
653	653	35 and law enforcement intervention as necessary; and
654	654	36 (E) inform the adoption, implementation, and updating of
655	655	37 policies adopted by the school corporation or charter
656	656	38 school, including school safety plans and the policies of a
657	657	39 safe school committee for a particular school.
658	658	40 (c) A multi-disciplinary threat assessment team may serve one
659	659	41 (1) or more schools.
660	660	42 (d) A multi-disciplinary threat assessment team that receives a
661	661	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 16
662	662	1 report of a threat or threatening behavior must make a
663	663	2 determination concerning the immediacy of the threat or
664	664	3 threatening behavior without delay.
665	665	4 (e) A multi-disciplinary threat assessment team that determines
666	666	5 that a threat or threatening behavior is an immediate threat under
667	667	6 subsection (d) must report that determination to the
668	668	7 superintendent, or the superintendent's designee, without delay.
669	669	8 (f) A superintendent, or a superintendent's designee, who
670	670	9 receives a report described in subsection (e) must immediately
671	671	10 attempt to notify the parent of the student who engaged in the
672	672	11 threat or threatening behavior. Nothing in this subsection
673	673	12 precludes school corporation personnel from acting immediately
674	674	13 to address an imminent threat.
675	675	14 SECTION 10. IC 10-21-1.5-4, AS ADDED BY P.L.27-2016,
676	676	15 SECTION 1, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
677	677	16 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 4. Not later than July 1, 2017, the department
678	678	17 shall establish and maintain guidelines for emergency response
679	679	18 systems. The department shall establish emergency response system
680	680	19 guidelines with input from the division of school building physical
681	681	20 security and safety (established by IC 20-19-3-14). office of school
682	682	21 safety (established by IC 10-21-1-1.5).
683	683	22 SECTION 11. IC 20-19-3-14 IS REPEALED [EFFECTIVE JULY
684	684	23 1, 2025]. Sec. 14. (a) As used in this section, "division" refers to the
685	685	24 division of school building physical security and safety established by
686	686	25 subsection (c).
687	687	26 (b) As used in this section, "physical security" refers to security
688	688	27 measures that are designed to deny unauthorized access to a building
689	689	28 or facility, including equipment and resources, and to protect
690	690	29 individuals and property from damage or harm.
691	691	30 (c) The division of school building physical security and safety is
692	692	31 established within the department.
693	693	32 (d) The division shall:
694	694	33 (1) establish and maintain guidelines for using professional
695	695	34 architectural and engineering services to integrate physical
696	696	35 security improvements and safety practices in the construction,
697	697	36 renovation, repair, or alteration of a school facility;
698	698	37 (2) carry out the department's responsibilities with regards to the
699	699	38 school safety specialist training and certification program
700	700	39 established in IC 10-21-1-13;
701	701	40 (3) establish and maintain guidelines for establishing emergency
702	702	41 response protocols in cooperation with other state agencies;
703	703	42 (4) carry out the department's responsibilities to safe school
704	704	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 17
705	705	1 committees under IC 10-21-1-14;
706	706	2 (5) coordinate the department's response and recovery assistance
707	707	3 to a school in the event of a manmade or natural disaster;
708	708	4 (6) provide information and guidance to assist school corporations
709	709	5 or schools to establish mutual aid disaster assistance agreements
710	710	6 with other schools or school corporations;
711	711	7 (7) study and collect information to integrate lessons learned from
712	712	8 previous school disasters throughout the country into the
713	713	9 curriculum of the school safety specialist training and certification
714	714	10 program established in IC 10-21-1-13 and guidelines established
715	715	11 by the division under this subsection;
716	716	12 (8) establish and maintain guidelines, in consultation with the
717	717	13 department of homeland security and institute for criminal justice,
718	718	14 for developing and maintaining school safety plans as described
719	719	15 in IC 10-21-1-10 and IC 10-21-1-11; and
720	720	16 (9) assist the secured school safety board established by
721	721	17 IC 10-21-1-3 in conducting the review and submitting the report
722	722	18 as described in IC 10-21-1-8.
723	723	19 (e) The division may:
724	724	20 (1) request a meeting with a school corporation or charter school
725	725	21 to review a school safety plan as described in IC 10-21-1-10;
726	726	22 (2) request to provide an onsite safety review for a school
727	727	23 corporation or charter school;
728	728	24 (3) request to provide guidance or assistance relating to school
729	729	25 safety matters to a school corporation or charter school;
730	730	26 (4) provide assistance or guidance relating to school safety
731	731	27 matters upon request by a nonpublic school that has voluntarily
732	732	28 become accredited under IC 20-31-4.1 or is accredited by a
733	733	29 national or regional accrediting agency that is recognized by the
734	734	30 state board; and
735	735	31 (5) provide assistance or guidance relating to school safety
736	736	32 matters upon request by a county school safety commission under
737	737	33 IC 10-21-1-12.
738	738	34 (f) The division shall maintain a secure Internet web site to provide
739	739	35 school officials and public safety officials access to information that is
740	740	36 considered classified under IC 5-14-3-4(b)(1), IC 5-14-3-4(b)(18), and
741	741	37 IC 5-14-3-4(b)(19) or other sensitive information that may assist school
742	742	38 officials and public safety officials in improving school safety or
743	743	39 responding to a manmade or natural disaster.
744	744	40 (g) The division shall maintain a public website that contains:
745	745	41 (1) the guidelines established by the division under subsection
746	746	42 (d);
747	747	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143 18
748	748	1 (2) best practices pertaining to school safety; and
749	749	2 (3) any other information the division determines may be
750	750	3 necessary to carry out the division's duties or responsibilities
751	751	4 under this section.
752	752	2025 IN 1398—LS 6754/DI 143