Report School Violence Data

Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds and declares that in order to combat violence in our schools, residents of the state must have accurate information on the number and types of incidents occurring and where these incidents are taking place. This information must be made public so that parents are aware of the safety conditions within which their children learn and so that our civic leaders can institute meaningful reform.

To help parents and the public understand and fully assess the problem of school crime and other serious disruptive incidents, the department of education must continue to enhance and improve upon the information on school safety data that is provided on the internet. By receiving this information, the public will be in a better position to analyze and comment upon any inconsistencies and to weigh in on proposed policy amendments.

§ 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 2803 to read as follows:

§ 2803. Department and police department school incident reporting requirements. 1. The department shall make available to the public, pursuant to subdivision four of this section, reports that reflect the environment of criminal and seriously disruptive behavior in schools operated by the department.

2. Such reports shall include an annual reporting, on a state-wide basis as well as for each school or group of schools operated by the department of information reported by local police departments to the

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD08739-01-9

S. 2476 2

department on the following: the total amount of major felony crime, disaggregated by felony category; the total amount of other crime, disaggregated by crimes against persons and crimes against property; and the total amount of non-criminal incidents.

3. Such reports shall also include an annual reporting, on a statewide basis as well as for each school or group of schools operated by the department, of incidents designated by the commissioner as seriously disruptive, dangerous or violent behavior in schools operated by the department, as reported pursuant to section twenty-eight hundred two of this article, or a successor reporting system. The commissioner, in consultation with local police departments, shall develop guidelines to avoid duplicative reporting.

4. The department shall make such reports available on its web site and shall include such information in the school district report cards or board of cooperative educational services report cards required by this chapter. The department shall also make such reports available in paper form at all schools and all district and regional offices, and shall provide copies to the public upon request. Such annual reports shall be available by October first, and shall include data from the previous school year (September first through June thirtieth) of information reported by local police departments to the department and, as soon as practicable, but no later than one year after the effective date of this section, shall also include the reports generated by the department described in subdivision three of this section.

§ 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.