HB 953

This bill enacts the "School Safety and Mental Health Act, "" which requires (i) e ach LEA and public charter school to employ at least one full-time licensed professional school counselor for each school in the LEA or public charter school, and (ii) the Tennessee school safety center to administer a school safety infrastructure grant program TENNESSEE SCHOOL SAFETY CENTE R Present law requires the department of education, in collaboration with the department of safety, to establish a Tennessee school safety center to develop and evaluate training materials and guidelines on school safety issues, including behavior, disc ipline and violence prevention. The center is responsible for the collection and analysis of data related to school safety, including alleged violent or assaultive acts against school employees and students. The center must make periodic reports to legis lative committees on the status of school safety efforts. SCHOOL SECURITY ASSESSMENTS Present law requires t he department of safety, in collaboration with the department of education, to develop a school security assessment for use in Tennessee public s chools. The departments must provide training to local law enforcement agencies and school administrators on the use of the school security assessment to identify school security vulnerabilities. Each LEA and public charter school must submit to the depa rtment of safety an annual school security self-assessment for each school that uses the school security assessment. The department of safety may conduct periodic reviews of public schools, as it deems necessary, to verify the effective implementation and use of school security assessments to enhance school security. SCHOOL SAFETY INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS This bill requires the Tennessee school safety center to administer a school safety infrastructure grant program and to develop a grant application that requires LEAs to describe, at a minimum, how grant funds ( i ) w ill be used to improve and support school safety infrastructure; ( ii ) a lign with the needs identified in a school security assessment; and ( iii ) w ill be used to support LEA-authorized charter schools, if applicable. In order to be eligible to receive grant funds, the LEA must be in compliance with all state laws, rules, and regulations regarding school safety. Subject to appropriations, the center must award grants to LEAs that meet the requi rements of this bill."