Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblyman ERIC HOUGHTALING
District 11 (Monmouth)
Assemblyman ANDREW ZWICKER
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Danielsen, Assemblywomen Schepisi and DiMaso
SYNOPSIS
Requires school districts to conduct audit of security features of district buildings, grounds, and communication systems using standardized checklist and to submit audit to NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and DOE.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning school safety and supplementing chapter 41 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A school district shall annually conduct a school safety audit for each school building using the checklist developed by the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness in collaboration with the Department of Education pursuant to subsection b. of this section. The school district shall submit the completed audit to the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the Department of Education. The audits shall be kept confidential, but may be utilized for the purposes of allocating any State grants or loans made available for the purpose of school facility safety and security upgrades.
b. The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness in collaboration with the Department of Education shall develop a comprehensive checklist of items to be reviewed and evaluated in the school safety audits conducted by school districts pursuant to subsection a. of this section. The checklist shall include items to assess the security features and security vulnerabilities of a school district’s school buildings and grounds. The checklist shall also include items to assess the emergency notification systems used to facilitate notification to parents and other members of the community in the case of school emergencies. The checklist shall be reviewed annually by New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the Department of Education and updated as appropriate.
The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness in collaboration with the Department of Education shall provide technical assistance to school districts to facilitate the completion of the checklists in a uniform manner.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first be applicable to the first full school year beginning after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires school districts to annually conduct a school safety audit for each of its buildings using a standardized checklist. The school district will submit the completed audit to the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the Department of Education and these audits will be kept confidential. The audits, however, may be used for the purposes of allocating any State grants or loans made available for the purpose of school facility safety and security upgrades.
The checklist which will be used by school districts to conduct the school safety audit will be developed by the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness in collaboration with the Department of Education, and will be reviewed annually and updated as appropriate. The checklist will include items to assess the security features and security vulnerabilities of a school district’s school buildings and grounds. The checklist will also include items to assess the emergency notification systems used to facilitate notification of the community in the case of school emergencies. The bill also provides that school districts will be provided technical assistance to facilitate the completion of the checklists in a uniform manner.