§ 53-22-102 — State security chief -- Creation -- Appointment.

(1) There is created within the department a state security chief.
(2) The state security chief:
(2)(a) is appointed by the commissioner with the approval of the governor;
(2)(b) is subject to the supervision and control of the commissioner;
(2)(c) may be removed at the will of the commissioner;
(2)(d) shall be qualified by experience and education to:
(2)(d)(i) enforce the laws of this state relating to school safety;
(2)(d)(ii) perform duties prescribed by the commissioner; and
(2)(d)(iii) enforce rules made under this chapter.
(3) The state security chief shall:
(3)(a) establish building and safety standards for all public and private schools, including:
(3)(a)(i) coordinating with the State Board of Education to establish the required minimum safety and security standards for all public and private school facilities, including:
(3)(a)(i)(A) limited entry points, including, if applicable, secured entry points for specific student grades or groups;
(3)(a)(i)(B) video surveillance of entrances when school is in session;
(3)(a)(i)(C) subject to Subsection (6), exterior windows surrounding only the immediate entryways and only interior windows of a classroom entrance or instructional area protected by security glazing or ballistic windows;
(3)(a)(i)(D) internal classroom door locks;
(3)(a)(i)(E) bleed kits and first aid kits;
(3)(a)(i)(F) exterior cameras on entrances, parking areas, and campus grounds; and
(3)(a)(i)(G) fencing around playgrounds or supervised parameters using existing and adequate staffing to monitor in consultation with the county security chief;
(3)(a)(ii) establishing a schedule or timeline for existing buildings to come into compliance with this section;
(3)(a)(iii) creating a process to examine plans and specifications for construction or remodeling of a school building, in accordance with Section 53E-3-706;
(3)(a)(iv) recommending to the commissioner the denial or revocation a public or private school's occupancy permit for a building if:
(3)(a)(iv)(A) the building does not meet the standards established in this section; and
(3)(a)(iv)(B) after consultation with the local governing board, the building remains non-compliant with the standards established in this section;
(3)(a)(v) creating minimum standards for radio communication equipment in every school; and
(3)(a)(vi) establishing a process to approve the safety and security criteria the state superintendent of public instruction establishes for building inspectors described in Section 53E-3-706;
(3)(b) oversee the implementation of the school safety personnel requirements described in Section 53G-8-701.5, including:
(3)(b)(i) in consultation with a county security chief, overseeing the school guardian program described in Section 53-22-105, including approving and coordinating the relevant training programs;
(3)(b)(ii) establishing an application process for approved alternatives to the school safety personnel requirements described in Section 53G-8-701.5;
(3)(b)(iii) selecting training requirements for school safety and security specialists in consultation with the State Board of Education as described in Section 53G-8-701.6;
(3)(b)(iv) as required by Section 53G-8-701.8, tracking each school safety and security director for a local education agency and ensuring that the contact information for the school safety and security directors is readily available to the local law enforcement agency of relevant jurisdiction; and
(3)(b)(v) reviewing and approving the State Board of Education's school resource officer training program as described in Section 53G-8-702;
(3)(c) oversee the creation of school safety trainings, protocols, and incident responses, including:
(3)(c)(i) in consultation with the State Board of Education, defining what constitutes an "active threat" and "developmentally appropriate" for purposes of the emergency response training described in Section 53G-8-803;
(3)(c)(ii) in consultation with the Office of Substance Use and Mental Health, establishing or selecting an adolescent mental health and de-escalation training for school safety personnel;
(3)(c)(iii) consulting with the School Safety Center to develop the model critical incident response that all schools and law enforcement will use during a threat, including:
(3)(c)(iii)(A) standardized response protocol terminology for use throughout the state, including what constitutes a threat;
(3)(c)(iii)(B) protocols for planning and safety drills, including drills required in a school before the school year begins;
(3)(c)(iii)(C) integration and appropriate use of a panic alert device described in Subsection 53G-8-805;
(3)(c)(iii)(D) the establishment of incident command for a threat or safety incident, including which entity and individual runs the incident command;
(3)(c)(iii)(E) the required components for a communication plan to be followed during an incident or threat;
(3)(c)(iii)(F) reunification plan protocols, including the appropriate design and use of an incident command by others responding to or involved in an incident; and
(3)(c)(iii)(G) recommendations for safety equipment for schools, including amounts and types of first aid supplies;
(3)(c)(iv) reviewing and suggesting any changes to the response plans and training under Section 53G-8-803;
(3)(c)(v) creating the official standard response protocol described in Section 53G-8-803 for use by schools and law enforcement for school safety incidents; and
(3)(c)(vi) establishing a manner for any security personnel described in Section 53G-8-701.5 to be quickly identified by law enforcement during an incident;
(3)(d) in consultation with the School Safety Center established in Section 53G-8-802:
(3)(d)(i) create a process to receive and analyze the school safety needs assessments described in Section 53G-8-701.5; and
(3)(d)(ii) establish a required data reporting system for public schools to report serious and non-serious threats and other data related to threat assessment that the state security chief determines to be necessary; and
(3)(e) fulfill any other duties and responsibilities determined by the commissioner.
(4) In accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, the department, in consultation with the state security chief, shall make rules to fulfill the duties described in this section.
(5) The state security chief may delegate duties under this section to a sworn department member with the approval of the commissioner.
(6) (6)(a) A school building shall come into compliance with window protection requirements in Subsection (3)(a) by:
(6)(a)(i) for schools located in a county of the first or second class, secure exterior windows surrounding only the immediate entryways by July 1, 2035;
(6)(a)(ii) for schools located in a county of the third, fourth, fifth, or sixth class, secure exterior windows surrounding only the immediate entryways by July 1, 2040; and
(6)(a)(iii) for all schools, secure only interior windows of a classroom entrance or instructional area from the floor, by July 1, 2040.
(6)(b) The state security chief may grant an extension to the timelines in this Subsection (6) if requested by a local education agency.

Legislative History

Amended by Chapter 388, 2025 General Session; Amended by Chapter 470, 2025 General Session