House Select Committee on School Safety - Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendations Charles A. Quagliato, Division of Legislative Services September 11, 2018

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #1 – Recommend that school boards provide all school board employees with access to mobile push applications. Mobile push applications allow school board employees to use their enabled electronic devices to quickly communicate with first responders during emergency situations.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #2 – Recommend that school boards provide web-based anonymous tip applications to school board employees, students, and students’ parents. The Commonwealth or local school divisions should procure a web-based anonymous tip application that would permit school board employees, students, and students’ parents to anonymously notify school administrators and law enforcement of potential emergency situations that involve public elementary and secondary schools and students.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #3 – Recommend that school boards explore the possibility of purchasing ballistic barriers and installing such barriers in school buildings. Innovations in ballistic barrier technology have enabled functional educational items such as dry erase white boards to be made bulletproof.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #4 – Recommend integrating school security cameras with emergency communications centers.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #5 – Increase funding for the School Resource Officer Grants Program (Program) (§ 9.1-110 of the Code of Virginia). The Program is funded at $1.3 million per year for the current biennium, but the budget for the current fiscal year includes an additional $1.3 million to fund the acceptance of grant applications that were previously denied solely for lack of sufficient funding. An additional increase in funding for the second year of the current biennium will enable the General Assembly to meet the growing demand for Program funds.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #6 – Increase funding made available to eligible school divisions pursuant to the School Security Equipment Grant Act of 2013 (Act) (§ 22.1-280.2:2 of the Code of Virginia). The Virginia Public School Authority is permitted to issue up to $6 million in notes for each year of the current biennium to fund grants pursuant to the Act. In addition to an increase in such funding, the General Assembly may also consider amending the Act to allow eligible school divisions to purchase a broader range of school security items than is permitted under current law.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #7 – Amend § 9.1-110 of the Code of Virginia to permit private elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth to apply for and receive grants pursuant to the School Resource Officer Grants Program. There is a growing demand for School Resource Officers among private elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #8 – Require each school board to collaborate with the local fire department to annually review building and fire codes for each elementary and secondary school in the local school division. Such a review would facilitate full compliance with the then-current fire code and would greatly enhance the safety of each public elementary and secondary school in the Commonwealth.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #9 – Recommend that the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) establish best practices for each annual safety- related review that school boards are required to perform. These best practices would cover annual reviews such as school safety audits and school crisis, emergency management, and medical emergency response plans (see § 22.1-279.8 of the Code of Virginia).

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #10 – Require certain minimum security standards for all public elementary and secondary schools. Minimum standards for instruction, student achievement, and staffing levels have been established by the General Assembly pursuant to statute and by the Board of Education pursuant to regulation. Likewise, the Board of Education should establish minimum standards for the security of all public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth with the input of stakeholders. Such standards should include standards for both physical security and cybersecurity.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #11 – Require school crisis, emergency management, and medical emergency response plans to be developed and reviewed collaboratively by school boards and first responders. Under current law, each school board is require to develop and annually review a school crisis, emergency management, and medical emergency response plan. It is unclear whether school boards have historically sought or currently seek to collaborate with first responders in the development and review of such plans, but such collaboration would be beneficial.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #12 – Recommend that the Commonwealth or school boards explore the possibility of procuring a social media monitoring program or service. Social media monitoring programs and services help school divisions throughout the country to better assess security risks within schools.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #13 – Require a professional who is trained and experienced in Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) review and implementation to review each school building project, including new construction and renovation projects. CPTED promotes both increased security and better educational environments for learning. This was a recommendation of the 2013 Governor’s School & Campus Safety Taskforce.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #14 – Localities should establish consensus-driven stakeholder processes for school design and security planning that include public safety personnel, architects, engineers, school officials, and others who may have experience and expertise with school safety audits. This was a recommendation of the 2013 Governor’s School & Campus Safety Taskforce.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #15 – Require public safety agencies to coordinate the inclusion of local school divisions in the public safety voice communications system. The 2013 Governor’s School & Campus Safety Taskforce recommended that public safety agencies coordinate the inclusion of local school divisions in the public safety voice communications system but did not recommend that such inclusion be required.

Infrastructure and Security Subcommittee Recommendation #16 – Design professionals, school officials, police chiefs/sheriffs, fire officials, and building officials should form a team at the local level to avoid conflicts in law and regulations when the E (educational) occupancy is having any type of security infrastructure improvements made for new or existing E occupancies. This was a recommendation of the 2013 Governor’s School & Campus Safety Taskforce.