§ 24-31-606 — Safe2tell program - creation - duties

Colorado § 24-31-606

• Jurisdiction: Colorado
• Title 24: Government
• Art.: Department of Law

Text

(1) There is created,
within the department, the safe2tell program.

(2) The program must:

(a) Establish and maintain methods of anonymous reporting concerning
unsafe, potentially harmful, dangerous, violent, or criminal activities in schools or
the threat of those activities;

(b) Establish methods and procedures to ensure that the identity of the
reporting parties remains unknown to all persons and entities, including law
enforcement officers and employees operating the program;

(c) Establish methods and procedures so that information obtained from a
reporting party who voluntarily discloses his or her identity and verifies that he or
she is willing to be identified may be shared with law enforcement officers,
employees operating the program, and school officials;

(d) Establish methods and procedures to ensure that a reporting party's
identity that becomes known through any means other than voluntary disclosure is
not further disclosed;

(e) Promptly forward information received by the program to the appropriate
law enforcement or public safety agency or school officials. The program is not
required to forward information if the call was transferred to the statewide
behavioral crisis response system created pursuant to section 27-60-103.

(f) Train law enforcement dispatch centers, school districts, individual
schools, and other entities determined by the attorney general on appropriate
awareness and response to safe2tell tips. Training materials outlining appropriate
response to safe2tell tips may be developed in collaboration with stakeholders to
ensure standardized messaging.

(g) Provide safe2tell awareness and educational materials to all elementary
and secondary schools in Colorado with a primary focus on targeting marketing
materials to Colorado school-age children, teachers, administrators, education
professionals, and, subject to available funds, other youth-related organizations,
including boys and girls clubs and 4-H extension offices, at no charge to the school
or recipient. The materials described in this subsection (2)(g) and subsection (2)(h)
of this section must include an explanation of the circumstances pursuant to
section 24-31-607 (3) or (4) when a student's report may not remain anonymous.

(h) Provide safe2tell awareness and education materials to Boys & Girls
Clubs and 4-H extension offices in Colorado at no charge to the Boys & Girls Clubs
and 4-H extension offices on or before June 30, 2017, and annually each fiscal year
thereafter;

(i) Develop training curriculum and teaching materials for a train the trainer
program;

(j) Annually organize, host, and conduct training in all geographic regions of
the state and provide related materials to persons who attend the training at no
charge to the attendee;

(k) Provide training and support to all elementary and secondary schools and
school districts in Colorado regarding school safety related to the safe2tell
program, including answering questions and discussing reports received by the
program;

(l) Provide educational materials to all elementary and secondary schools in
Colorado aimed at preventing misuse of the program;

(m) Provide technical assistance and support to law enforcement officials
and school officials when there is misuse of the program; and

(n) Analyze and follow up with law enforcement and schools to determine
the outcome of a report made to the program, including actions taken on the report.

(3) On or before February 1, 2021, the department, in collaboration with
stakeholders, shall devise a process and develop standardized protocols so that
any communication related to mental health or substance use received by safe2tell,
including any communication related to another person, may be transferred, as
appropriate, to the statewide behavioral crisis response system created pursuant to
section 27-60-103.

(4) Beginning on or before August 1, 2024, the department shall annually
convene a training meeting for school resource officers, as described in section 22-32-146, and school officials to discuss best practices in responding to safe2tell
reports, including defining roles, communication about a report, outcome reporting,
and training resources to improve school resource officers' support of students and
school staff. Safe2tell may conduct a survey to collect data and discussions
regarding safe2tell operations.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2014: Entire part added, (SB 14-002), ch. 241, p. 890, � 2, effective August 6. L. 2016: (2)(f) and (2)(g) amended and (2)(h), (2)(i), and (2)(j) added, (SB 16-193), ch. 227, p. 867, � 1, effective June 6. L. 2018: (2)(i) amended and (2)(k), (2)(l), (2)(m), and (2)(n) added, (HB 18-1434), ch. 235, p. 1474, � 1, effective August 8. L. 2020: (2)(e), (2)(f), (2)(g), (2)(k), and (2)(l) amended and (3) added, (HB 20-1113), ch. 259, p. 1252, � 1, effective July 8. L. 2021: (2)(g) amended, (SB 21-081), ch. 390, p. 2602, � 2, effective June 30. L. 2023: (4) added, (SB 23-070), ch. 116, p. 421, � 1, effective April 27.