Purpose

• Establish a school safety threat assessment pilot project to help prevent and respond to threats that affect student and staff safety in schools.
• The Department of Public Safety’s Office of Justice Programs, in consultation with the School Safety Center, must set up the pilot.

Main Provisions

• Vendor contract and capabilities:
  • The Office of Justice Programs must contract with a vendor to provide services that integrate advanced threat anticipation, real-time monitoring, and rapid response to protect students, educators, administrators, and staff.
  • The services must deliver real-time alerts to coordinate with emergency services.
  • They must be able to integrate with and complement existing school security applications and help coordinate locking school doors to keep threats outside the buildings.
  • The services may use predictive analytics and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven software to meet these goals.
• Participant eligibility and selection:
  • One school district from each U.S. congressional district will participate.
  • Selected districts must include both large and small districts.
  • A district that already has a system similar to the project is ineligible.
• Reporting requirements:
  • By January 15, 2027, the Commissioner of Public Safety must report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the education and public safety committees.
  • The report must include: an evaluation of the pilot’s effectiveness, feedback from participating schools, staff, students, and families, and recommendations on statewide implementation, funding structures, and system improvements.

Funding and Implementation Timeline

• Appropriation: $4,000,000 from the general fund in fiscal year 2027 to the Commissioner of Public Safety to implement the school safety threat assessment pilot project.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Creates a new, state-supported pilot project within the public safety framework to assess and deploy threat anticipation and real-time monitoring in schools.
• Expands authority to use AI-driven software and predictive analytics as tools for school threat assessment and response.
• Introduces a formal, time-limited reporting requirement to inform potential statewide adoption and funding decisions.

Fiscal and Administrative Notes (at a glance)

• Source of funds: general fund.
• Lead agency: Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs.
• Oversight and collaboration: in consultation with the School Safety Center.
• Timeline: pilot initiation now with a formal evaluation and statewide recommendations due by January 15, 2027.

Potential Implementation Considerations (summary)

• Coordination with existing school security systems and emergency services is required.
• Participation is limited to one district per congressional district, ensuring a mix of district sizes.
• The pilot’s success depends on effective vendor performance, data integration, and stakeholder feedback.

Relevant Terms - school safety threat assessment pilot project - Department of Public Safety - Office of Justice Programs - School Safety Center - real-time alerts - advanced threat anticipation - rapid response capabilities - predictive analytics - artificial intelligence (AI)-driven software - emergency services - existing school security applications - locking school doors - school districts - congressional district - report (by January 15, 2027) - statewide implementation - funding structures - general fund - fiscal year 2027