Purpose

• The bill would strengthen school safety in Minnesota by creating an official, evidencebased approach to preventing human-caused safety incidents. It would establish a School Safety Center within the Department of Public Safety, set up an evidencebased model school safety plan, require local school safety plans to meet the model standards, provide funding in the form of grants, and require reporting on progress.

Key Provisions

• School Safety Center (Section 1)

  • Creates a School Safety Center within the Department of Public Safety.
  • Develops an evidencebased model school safety plan for use by school boards.
  • Establishes criteria to determine whether a plan is evidencebased.
  • Reviews local school safety plans and notifies school boards if their plan meets requirements.
  • Assesses whether school facility improvements intended to improve safety are evidencebased.
  • Administers grants to help implement evidencebased school safety plans, to the extent funding is available.
  • Prepares and posts a report identifying which schools have adopted an evidencebased plan on the department’s public website; submits the report to relevant legislative committees; updates the report by December 1, 2028 and every two years thereafter.
  • May provide consulting services to K–12 schools to develop, improve, or implement an evidencebased plan.
  • Must employ at least two licensed school mental health professionals (e.g., licensed school psychologist, licensed school social worker, or licensed school counselor); may consult with the Department of Education’s comprehensive school mental health services lead.

• Model Plan (Section 2)

  • In collaboration with the Department of Education, maintains an evidencebased model school safety plan to prevent humancaused safety incidents.
  • Defines evidencebased criteria, including strong evidence from well-designed studies, moderate or promising evidence, or a high-quality research rationale with ongoing evaluation.
  • Posts the model plan on the School Safety Center’s website no later than September 1, 2026.
  • May make model-plan components available to school boards, including plans developed by third parties.

• Local School Safety Plans (Section 3)

  • School boards must adopt an evidencebased school safety plan that meets the model plan’s minimum requirements; the plan may include a crisis management policy.
  • School boards must submit their plan to the School Safety Center for approval by May 1, 2028.
  • The School Safety Center must review each plan and notify whether it is approved as an evidencebased plan by around August 1, 2028.
  • Plans must describe efforts to create a positive school climate and to support student mental health.
  • If a school board does not submit a plan or the plan is not approved, it must notify parents, students, and staff by mid-August 2028 in plain language. The notice must explain the deadline, the purpose of an evidencebased plan, and provide contact information for questions or concerns.
  • If a school board has not adopted an evidencebased plan by a specified date (mid- to late-August 2028), it must adopt a plan developed in partnership with the School Safety Center, with possible amendments subject to the Center’s approval.
  • Nonpublic schools are encouraged to develop an evidencebased school safety plan and may seek guidance from the School Safety Center.

Additional Implementation Details

• Reporting and transparency

  • The Center must post progress and the list of schools with evidencebased plans on the public website.
  • The annual reporting and updates are required to inform lawmakers and the public about implementation progress.

• Staffing and collaboration

  • The Center must staff with at least two mental health professionals as described, and may collaborate with the Education Department’s leads on comprehensive school mental health services.

• Timeline highlights

  • September 1, 2026: Model plan posted on the Center’s website.
  • May 1, 2028: Local school safety plans due to the Center for approval.
  • August 1, 2028 (approx.): Center notifies districts whether plans are approved as evidencebased.
  • By mid-August 2028: Districts without approved plans must notify families and staff and proceed to adopt a Center-developed plan if needed.
  • December 1, 2028 and every two years thereafter: Center updates the public report on schools with evidencebased plans.

Significance and Expected Impact

• Establishes a centralized, evidencebased framework for preventing humancaused safety incidents in schools.
• Creates formal oversight and reporting to track progress across districts and provide accountability.
• Incentivizes districts to adopt plans that are grounded in research and to maintain supports for student mental health and a positive school climate.
• Introduces professional mental health staffing requirements within the Safety Center to support plan development and implementation.

Potential Changes to Existing Law

• Establishment of the School Safety Center within the Department of Public Safety.
• New requirements for districts to adopt and submit evidencebased school safety plans by specific deadlines.
• Creation of formal criteria for what counts as an evidencebased plan.
• Required posting and reporting of model plans and district progress.
• Mandated involvement of licensed mental health professionals in the Center’s operations.

Relevant Terms - School Safety Center - Minnesota School Safety Center - evidencebased school safety plan - humancaused safety incidents - model plan - local school safety plan - Department of Public Safety (DPS) - Department of Education - licensed school psychologist - licensed school social worker - licensed school counselor - school mental health professionals - positive school climate - crisis management policy - grants (funding for implementation) - review and approval deadlines - public reporting / posting on website - nonpublic school - consulting services