(1) There is
hereby created within the office the school safety resource center to assist schools
in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and
crisis situations and to foster positive learning environments. The director of the
center is appointed by the director of the office pursuant to section 13 of article XII
of the state constitution.
(2) The center is a type 2 entity, as defined in section 24-1-105, and exercises
its powers and performs its duties and functions under the office.
(3) The center has the following duties:
(a) To assist schools in developing and implementing safety and
preparedness plans, including but not limited to any such plans that are required by
state law or applicable rules of accreditation;
(b) To assist schools in establishing practices and strategies for use in
responding to an emergency or crisis situation;
(c) To assist schools in developing and establishing prevention and
intervention efforts to ensure safe and secure learning environments;
(d) To conduct regular research and assessment projects to determine the
efficacy of statewide and local policies and programming;
(e) To make information and other resources available to all schools and
school officials;
(f) (I) To select at least one but not more than five school districts or regions,
with the consent of the affected school district boards of education, to serve as
pilot sites during the first year of the center's operation. The center shall evaluate
and develop enhanced school safety services to be provided by the center to the
pilot sites.
(II) In selecting the school districts or regions that shall serve as pilot sites
pursuant to subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (f), the center shall designate at
least one but not more than three schools within each of the pilot sites to
participate in a cooperative effort by all such designated schools within the pilot
sites to create a first responder school mapping system to provide first responders
immediate electronic or digital access to maps of, and other schematic information
about, school buildings at such designated schools in the event of an emergency at
the designated schools. In creating the first responder school mapping system, the
pilot sites may contract with one or more public or private entities with experience
in creating first responder school mapping systems. Before entering into any such
contract or otherwise proceeding with plans for the creation of the first responder
school mapping system, the pilot sites shall submit the contract or plans to the
center to approve or disapprove. The department shall reimburse the pilot sites for
the direct and indirect costs of creating the first responder school mapping system
pursuant to this subparagraph (II).
(III) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that, for purposes of
section 17 of article IX of the state constitution, the development and creation of a
first responder school mapping system, pursuant to subparagraph (II) of this
paragraph (f), is an important element of improving student safety and may
therefore receive funding from the state education fund created in section 17 (4) of
article IX of the state constitution.
(g) To provide information and resources relating to school safety, school
emergency response planning and training, and interoperable communications in
schools, as determined by the center, to the division of fire prevention and control in
the department of public safety to be distributed to school districts and schools
pursuant to section 24-33.5-1213.4. Nothing in this subsection (3)(g) permits
providing a firearm, as defined in section 18-1-901, to a school district or a school.
(h) (I) To consult with school districts, schools, and charter schools
concerning evidence-based best practices for bullying prevention and education;
(II) To consult with the department of education concerning its
administration of the school bullying prevention and education grant program
created in section 22-93-102, C.R.S.; and
(III) To submit evidence-based best practices for bullying prevention and
education to the department of education for the purposes of section 22-93-106,
C.R.S.
(i) Repealed.
(j) To provide information and resources relating to the development and
maintenance of school resource officer programs, as determined by the center, to
the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety for
distribution to school districts and schools pursuant to section 24-33.5-1213.4 and
to law enforcement agencies and other community partners, as described in section
22-32-109.1, C.R.S.;
(k) To provide suggestions for school resource officer training to the peace
officers standards and training board, pursuant to section 24-31-312;
(l) To provide materials and training as described in section 24-33.5-1809 to
personnel in school districts and charter schools, parents, and students regarding
the awareness and prevention of child sexual abuse and assault, including human
trafficking;
(m) By June 1, 2018, to make available a model program that conforms with
section 22-1-128, regarding the risks and consequences of sexting for school
districts to use, which curriculum must include information informing students of
the provisions of section 18-7-109, including that, if a student receives a private
intimate image or intimate digital depiction in violation of section 18-7-109, the
student can avoid adjudication as a juvenile delinquent by taking reasonable steps
to either destroy or delete or report the initial viewing of the image or depiction
within seventy-two hours after receiving the image or depiction; and
(n) (I) To act as a resource for school districts, public schools, charter
schools, and institute charter schools concerning training for crisis and suicide
prevention, as that term is defined in section 25-1.5-112; and
(II) To work collaboratively with the office of suicide prevention in the
department of public health and environment concerning the crisis and suicide
prevention training grant program created in section 25-1.5-113.
(4) Subject to the provisions of section 13 of article XII of the state
constitution, the director shall appoint employees necessary to conduct an efficient
center.
Source: L. 2008: Entire part added, p. 729, � 1, effective May 13; (3)(f)
amended, p. 733, � 2, effective May 13. L. 2011: (3)(e) amended and (3)(h) added, (HB
11-1254), ch. 173, p. 655, � 7, effective May 13; (3)(g) added, (SB 11-173), ch. 310, p.
1517, � 6, effective June 10. L. 2012: (3)(g) amended, (HB 12-1283), ch. 240, p. 1134, �
46, effective July 1. L. 2013: (3)(i), (3)(j), and (3)(k) added, (SB 13-138), ch. 253, p.
1343, � 6, effective May 23. L. 2015: (3)(j) and (3)(k) amended and (3)(l) added, (SB
15-020), ch. 277, p. 1131, � 1, effective June 5. L. 2017: (3)(k) and (3)(l) amended and
(3)(m) added, (HB 17-1302), ch. 390, p. 2016, � 6, effective January 1, 2018. L. 2018: (3)(l) and (3)(m) amended and (3)(n) added, (SB 18-272), ch. 333, p. 2005, � 3,
effective August 8. L. 2019: (3)(l) amended, (HB 19-1051), ch. 404, p. 3577, � 3,
effective August 2. L. 2021: (3)(n)(I) amended, (HB 21-1119), ch. 49, p. 207, � 3,
effective September 7. L. 2023: (1), (2), and (3)(g) amended, (SB 23-241), ch. 120, p.
444, � 2, effective April 27. L. 2025: (3)(m) amended, (SB 25-288), ch. 339, p. 1837,
� 8, effective August 6.