1 of 1
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1480 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1782
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
John C. Velis
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act establishing the Massachusetts school safety data grant program.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :John C. VelisHampden and Hampshire 1 of 3
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1480 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1782
By Mr. Velis, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1782) of John C. Velis for legislation
to require schools to develop critical response maps. Public Safety and Homeland Security.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
_______________
An Act establishing the Massachusetts school safety data grant program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Chapter 147 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after Section 63 the
2following section:-
3 Section 64. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall have the following
4meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
5 “Office”, the executive office of public safety and security
6 “Program”, the Massachusetts school safety data grant program
7 “Public safety agencies", any municipal, county, regional, or state agency responsible for
8providing emergency services, including law enforcement, fire departments, emergency medical
9services.
10 “School”, any public or private primary or secondary educational institution, including
11charter schools, vocational schools, and special education schools approved under Ch. 71B. 2 of 3
12 “School mapping data”, detailed and verified geographical and structural data of school
13buildings and grounds, including but not limited to floor plans, aerial imagery, and site-specific
14labels identifying rooms, hallways, stairwells, and emergency resources.
15 “Software platforms”, the digital tools and systems used by public safety agencies to
16access, share, and utilize mapping data and related emergency information.
17 “Verified”, data that has been physically inspected and confirmed for accuracy through
18an on-site review of the school buildings and grounds by the entity responsible for producing the
19school mapping data.
20 (b) To facilitate efficient and effective emergency response by law enforcement and
21public safety agencies across the commonwealth, the Massachusetts School Safety Data Grant
22Program is hereby established within the office. The office shall, subject to appropriation,
23administer a program to provide grants to municipal, county, regional, or state law enforcement
24agencies for the purpose of developing standardized school mapping data to establish a single,
25verified source of school mapping data for each school in the commonwealth, ensuring that such
26data is accurate, standardized, and accessible to public safety agencies statewide to facilitate
27efficient emergency response on school campuses. A municipal, county, regional, or state law
28enforcement agency may apply for a grant to provide school mapping data for one or more
29schools, provided the agency has jurisdiction over the respective school or schools.
30 (c) The school mapping data shall adhere to the following criteria. The data shall:
31 (1) conform to and integrate with software platforms used by municipal, state, and federal
32public safety agencies responsible for emergency services at the school without requiring the
33purchase of additional software or payment of fees to access the data. Future updates or 3 of 3
34modifications to the school mapping data must conform to and integrate with all software
35platforms used by the relevant public safety agencies;
36 (2) conform to and integrate with safety and emergency software platforms used by the
37school without requiring the purchase of additional software or payment of fees to access the
38data;
39 (3) be provided in a printable format;
40 (4) be oriented true north, include a grid with "x" and "y" coordinates for reference, and
41include z-axis elevation data for each floor;
42 (5) have its accuracy verified by the entity producing the data through an on-site walk-
43through of the school buildings and grounds;
44 (6) include accurate floor plans overlaid on current, verified aerial imagery of the school
45campus;
46 (7) include site-specific labeling for school structures such as room names, hallway
47designations, exterior doors, stairwell numbers, and the locations of hazards, critical utility
48controls, key boxes, automated external defibrillators, and trauma kits and school grounds,
49including parking areas, athletic fields, surrounding roads, and neighboring properties; and
50 (8) be provided to the school district and appropriate public safety agencies at no cost
51beyond the initial cost of production and shall be made available to such entities permanently.
52 (d) The office shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the
53provisions of this section and ensure compliance with the requirements of the program.