(1) The General Assembly hereby authorizes the establishment of the Center for School Safety. The center’s mission shall be to serve as the central point for data analysis; research; dissemination of information about successful school safety and school security programs, best practices, training standards, research results, and new programs; and, in collaboration with the Department of Education and others, to provide technical assistance for safe schools.
(2) To fulfill its mission, the Center for School Safety shall:

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Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 158.442

  • Directors: when applied to corporations, includes managers or trustees. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
  • School safety: means a program of prevention that protects students and staff from substance abuse, violence, bullying, theft, the sale or use of illegal substances, exposure to weapons and threats on school grounds, and injury from severe weather, fire, and natural disasters. See Kentucky Statutes 158.441
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Year: means calendar year. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010

(a) Establish a clearinghouse for information and materials concerning school violence prevention;
(b) Provide program development and implementation expertise and technical support to schools, law enforcement agencies, and communities, which may include coordinating training for administrators, teachers, students, parents, and other community representatives;
(c) Analyze the data collected in compliance with KRS § 158.444;
(d) Research and evaluate school safety programs so schools and communities are better able to address their specific needs;
(e) Administer a school safety grant program for local districts as directed by the General Assembly;
(f) Promote the formation of interagency efforts to address discipline and safety issues within communities throughout the state in collaboration with other postsecondary education institutions and with local juvenile delinquency prevention councils;
(g) Prepare and disseminate information regarding best practices in creating safe and effective schools;
(h) Advise the Kentucky Board of Education on administrative policies and administrative regulations relating to school safety and security;
(i) Beginning July 1, 2020 and by July 1 of each subsequent year, provide an annual report to the Governor, the Kentucky Board of Education, and the Interim Joint Committee on Education regarding the status of school safety in Kentucky, including the number and placement of school resource officers working in school districts in Kentucky and the source of funding and method of employment for each position in accordance with KRS § 158.4414;
(j) Develop and implement a school safety coordinator training program based on national and state best practices in collaboration with the Kentucky Department of Education for school safety coordinators appointed pursuant to KRS § 158.4412. The training shall be approved by the board of directors of the Center for School Safety and include instruction on at least the following:
1. Policies and procedures for conducting emergency response drills using an all-hazards approach including hostage and active shooter situations;
2. Identification and response to threats to school safety and security;
and
3. Preparing for, conducting, and reviewing school security risk assessments in accordance with KRS § 158.4410; and
(k) Award a school safety coordinator certificate of completion to a school safety coordinator upon satisfactory completion of the training program.
(3) The Center for School Safety shall be governed by a board of directors consisting of fifteen (15) members. Members shall consist of:
(a) The commissioner or a designee of the Department of Education;
(b) The secretary or a designee of the Cabinet for Health and Family
Services;
(c) The commissioner or a designee of the Department for Behavioral
Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities;
(d) The commissioner or a designee of the Department of Kentucky State
Police;
(e) The commissioner or a designee of the Department of Criminal Justice
Training;
(f) The executive director or a designee of the Kentucky Office of Homeland
Security;
(g) A representative which shall be appointed by the Governor from one (1)
list of three (3) names submitted by the Kentucky League of Cities;
(h) A representative which shall be appointed by the Governor from one (1) list of three (3) names submitted by the Kentucky School Boards Association;
(i) A representative which shall be appointed by the Governor from one (1) list of three (3) names submitted by the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents;
(j) A representative which shall be appointed by the Governor from one (1) list of three (3) names submitted by the Kentucky Association of School Resource Officers;
(k) A representative which shall be appointed by the Governor from one (1)
list of three (3) names submitted by the Kentucky Education Association;
(l) A representative which shall be appointed by the Governor from one (1) list of three (3) names submitted by the Kentucky School Nurses Association;
(m) A representative which shall be appointed by the Governor from one (1) list of three (3) names submitted by the Kentucky Association for Psychology in the Schools;
(n) A representative which shall be appointed by the Governor from one (1) list of three (3) names submitted by the Kentucky School Counselor Association; and
(o) A representative which shall be appointed by the Governor from one (1) list of three (3) names submitted by the Kentucky Parent Teacher Association.
(4) Notwithstanding KRS § 12.028, the Center for School Safety and its board of directors shall not be subject to reorganization by the Governor.
Effective:March 11, 2019
History: Amended 2019 Ky. Acts ch. 5, sec. 2, effective March 11, 2019. — Amended 2012 Ky. Acts ch. 146, sec. 14, effective July 12, 2012; and ch. 158, sec. 10, effective July 12, 2012. — Amended 2009 Ky. Acts ch. 11, sec. 48, effective June 25, 2009. — Amended 2006 Ky. Acts ch. 211, sec. 84, effective July 12, 2006. — Amended 2000 Ky. Acts ch. 14, sec. 11, effective July 14,
2000. — Created 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 493, sec. 3, effective April 10, 1998.