SB2: AN ACT relating to student safety.

Legislative Summary

Amends KRS 156.095 to require schools to provide suicide prevention awareness twice a year and an opportunity for any student who missed the suicide prevention awareness lesson to receive the lesson at a later time, and to make conforming changes; amends KRS 156.501 to remove existing cost-sharing provisions for the registered nurse required to be employed by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE); creates a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define terms, to establish a framework for employment of Kentucky guardians in schools, to specify qualifications of a guardian, to specify that a local board of education is immune from civil or criminal liability in all claims arising out of any action of a guardian, and to specify that guardians shall have the immunities of police officers; creates a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to require KDE to gather and compile data, coordinate training, and monitor the numbers and types of mental health professionals in schools; creates a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to create the School Mapping Data Program administered by the Center for School Safety and to outline requirements of school mapping data; amends KRS 158.441 to specify required certifications in the definition of “school resource officer” (SRO); amends 158.4414 to allow school districts to hire a guardian until a certified SRO is available as required, to allow a district with an SRO to hire guardians to provide additional school safety and security measures, and to require that the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council update and maintain SRO training; amends KRS 158.4416 to define terms, to specify that at least 60 percent of a school counselor’s time be spent providing direct services, to make conforming changes, to require the trauma-informed team to compile their activities to be used in the creation of the comprehensive school improvement plan and to submit the information to KDE, and to require KDE to annually summarize and submit the information to the state board and the Legislative Research Commission; amends KRS 158.442 to require that the Center for School Safety implement a system to certify guardians to school districts, to authorize the center to employ an individual to provide oversight of the guardian program if funds are available, and to authorize the center to administer and oversee the school mapping program; amends KRS 158.443 to conform; amends KRS 158.4451 to require that the Office of Homeland Security maintain and update the anonymous reporting tool, to require that each school district make available an anonymous reporting tool, and to provide for an alternative anonymous reporting tool; amends KRS 158.162 to allow secondary locking mechanisms in schools, and to require that school councils or principals include school mapping data, if available, in their emergency plans; amends KRS 158.4412 to require that the local school district’s safety coordinator maintain a current copy of school mapping data; and amends KRS 61.637 and 78.5540 to conform.