What's happening
This bill requires third-party evaluations of all school safety and emergency response plans in New York school districts.
Why it matters
Ensures objective oversight. By requiring independent third-party evaluators, the bill aims to eliminate potential conflicts of interest and provide a more rigorous, impartial assessment of school safety and emergency response plans.
Promotes standardized best practices. The involvement of the state police and external experts could help ensure that all school districts meet consistent standards, potentially identifying gaps or weaknesses that local-only reviews might miss.
Accelerates safety improvements. With a one-year deadline for evaluations, the bill pushes for prompt action, meaning any necessary changes to safety protocols could be implemented more quickly to better protect students and staff.
Directs funding to school safety. By mandating state appropriations for these evaluations, the legislation underscores a commitment to prioritizing and resourcing school safety initiatives statewide.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Independent School Safety Reviews
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to education
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7839
IN SENATE
March 1, 2018
Introduced by Sen. RITCHIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT requiring third-party evaluations of district-wide school safety plans
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The department of education, in consultation with the division of state police, shall contract with a third-party evaluator to review and assess each district-wide school safety plan and buildinglevel emergency response plan established under section 2801-a of the education law.
§ 2. The division of state police shall work in conjunction with such third-party evaluator to establish a mechanism to review such safety and response plans.
§ 3. Funding for such third-party evaluations shall be provided through appropriations to the department of education.
§ 4. Such third-party evaluation shall be completed no later than one year after the effective date of this act.
§ 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14941-02-8
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act requiring third-party evaluations of district- wide school safety plans
Purpose
To require third party evaluations of school safety plans and building level emergency response plans
Summary of provisions
Section one calls upon the department of education to consult with the division of state police to contract with a third-party evaluator to review and assess each district-wide school safety plan and building- level emergency response plans established under the section 2801-a of the education law.
Section two calls for the division of state police to work in conjunc- tion with the third-party evaluator to establish the manner in which district-wide safety plans will be reviewed.
Section three provides that such reviews shall be provided for through appropriations to the department of education.
Section four provides a one year deadline for the completion of the safety evaluations. Section five provides the effective date.
Existing law
Section 2801-a of the education law concerns the establishment of district-wide school safety plans and building-level emergency response plans.
Justification
While district-wide school safety plans and building specific plans are established under section 2801-a of the education law, this law puts a burden on our school personnel to know and implement safety plans that are adequate and effective. In fact the state police, in conjunction with an outside evaluator would more appropriately be able to evaluate the efficacy of school safety plans, freeing up educators to focus on their primary job - educating our children.
The purpose of such evaluations would be solely to provide recommenda- tions for improvements, and guidance as to how best to safeguard our schools and our children.
This legislation is especially important in light of recent tragic school shootings across the nation, and the need to ensure that the safety plans currently in place are doing what the law intended, and that our schools are safe for students, teachers, and visitors must be of the highest priority.
Legislative history
None. This is a new bill.
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Local fiscal implications
None. Funding for third-party evaluations shall be provided through appropriations to the department of education.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.