Report Title:

School Safety

Description:

Establishes a school safety manager program; appropriates funds.

(HB961 HD1)

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The children of this State require a safe and secure school environment that enables students and teachers to concentrate on teaching and learning without being distracted by disruptions and threat of injury. It has been increasingly clear that the creation of a safe school environment depends on the availability of expertise to attend to and address a myriad of school safety responsibilities. In many of our secondary schools, the understanding of law enforcement concepts, strategies, and techniques are necessary to ensure the safety of students and staff. To that end, the department of education has embarked on a school safety manager program as a proof—of—concept project that places retired law enforcement officers in secondary schools to coordinate safe school activities.

The legislature believes that the school safety manager will enhance the safety and security of students and employees by providing the necessary expertise for achieving safe learning environments. Acting as an on-site consultant, the school safety manager will rely on invaluable experience and provide expertise on school safety matters. The school safety manager offers hope, optimism, and confidence that schools will be increasingly proactive in addressing school safety. The school safety manager program will help to provide an improved and coordinated response to school safety issues.

In order to increase academic achievement, a student must first feel safe in school. Parents must also believe that their children are safe in school. Recent community events in Hawaii and violent incidents at schools in other States have raised the awareness of and the need for school safety to a much higher level. These incidents have indelibly stamped the need to ensure that personnel, plans, training, response models, and systems are in place to prevent and respond professionally and effectively to crises. This type of preparation will minimize the negative impact of any incidents on students and staff, and allow a quick return to normalcy.

The expected results from the school safety manager program include safe schools where fear is eliminated, bullying is non-existent, the school climate is positive, there is a significant decrease in school incidents, absenteeism and truancy rates are reduced, there is restored confidence in the schools by the public, and improved academic achievement is realized. Schools will be able to deescalate crisis situations effectively and implement successful preventive strategies.

The busy school administrators, with onsite administrative support provided by the school safety managers, will be able to devote the time and effort required to fulfill their educational mission and concentrate on implementing standards based education. School administrators alone can no longer be expected to have the specialized training and expertise required to deal with the increasingly complex school safety concerns and that viable school safety plans call for an unprecedented expertise relating to school safety.

Ultimately, if safe schools are not achieved, the results will be fodder for the media, and the public’s confidence in the public schools will continue to erode. The inability to provide safe schools may translate into poor student achievement and a working citizenry unable to contribute to its community in a productive and meaningful way and may not allow for the survival and continuation of our democratic society.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to establish the school safety manager program and appropriate general funds for the establishment of the school safety manager program.

SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§302A-   School safety. The department shall establish a school safety manager program employing retired police officers in school safety manager positions, with prior approval of the superintendent of education and pursuant to collective bargaining agreements. The superintendent of education shall ensure that school safety managers shall provide assistance to the school administrator to ensure that personnel, plans, training, response models, and systems are in place to prevent and/or respond professionally and effectively to crises to minimize negative impact on students and staff and allow for a quick return to normalcy. The superintendent of education shall:

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general funds of the State of Hawaii the sum of $3,318,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2001—2002 and the sum of $3,318,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2002-2003 for the establishment of a school safety manager program for the public secondary schools.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.