School Safety Enhancement Act of 1999

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``School Safety Enhancement Act of 
1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) While our Nation's schools are still relatively safe, 
        it is imperative that schools be provided with adequate 
        resources to prevent incidents of violence.
            (2) Approximately 10 percent of all public schools reported 
        at least 1 serious violent crime to a law enforcement agency 
        over the course of the 1996-1997 school year.
            (3) In 1996, approximately 225,000 students between the 
        ages of 12 and 18 were victims of nonfatal violent crime in 
        schools in the United States.
            (4) From 1992 through 1994, 76 students and 29 non-students 
        were victims of murders or suicides that were committed in 
        schools in the United States.
            (5) The school violence incidents in several States across 
        the Nation in 1998 and 1999 caused enormous damage to schools, 
        families, and whole communities.
            (6) Because of escalating school violence, the children of 
        the United States are increasingly afraid that they will be 
        attacked or harmed at school.
            (7) A report issued by the Department of Education in 
        August, 1998, entitled ``Early Warning, Early Response'' 
        concluded that the reduction and prevention of school violence 
        is best achieved through safety plans which involve the entire 
        community, policies which emphasize both prevention and 
        intervention, training school personnel, parents, students, and 
        community members to recognize the early warning signs of 
        potential violent behavior and to share their concerns or 
        observations with trained personnel, establishing procedures 
        which allow rapid response and intervention when early warning 
        signs of violent behavior are identified, and providing 
        adequate support and access to services for troubled students.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCHOOL AND YOUTH SAFETY.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Education and the Attorney 
General shall jointly establish a National Center for School and Youth 
Safety (in this section referred to as the ``Center''). The Secretary 
of Education and the Attorney General may establish the Center at an 
existing facility, if the facility has a history of performing two or 
more of the duties described in subsection (b). The Secretary of 
Education and the Attorney General shall jointly appoint a Director of 
the Center to oversee the operation of the Center.
    (b) Duties.--The Center shall carry out emergency response, 
anonymous student hotline, consultation, and information and outreach 
activities with respect to elementary and secondary school safety, 
including the following:
            (1) Emergency response.--The staff of the Center, and such 
        temporary contract employees as the Director of the Center 
shall determine necessary, shall offer emergency assistance to local 
communities to respond to school safety crises. Such assistance shall 
include counseling for victims and the community, assistance to law 
enforcement to address short-term security concerns, and advice on how 
to enhance school safety, prevent future incidents, and respond to 
future incidents.
            (2) Anonymous student hotline.--The Center shall establish 
        a toll-free telephone number for students to report criminal 
        activity, threats of criminal activity, and other high-risk 
        behaviors such as substance abuse, gang or cult affiliation, 
        depression, or other warning signs of potentially violent 
        behavior. The Center shall relay the reports, without 
        attribution, to local law enforcement or appropriate school 
        hotlines. The Director of the Center shall work with the 
        Attorney General to establish guidelines for Center staff to 
        work with law enforcement around the Nation to relay 
        information reported through the hotline.
            (3) Consultation.--The Center shall establish a toll-free 
        number for the public to contact staff of the Center for 
        consultation regarding school safety. The Director of the 
        Center shall hire administrative staff and individuals with 
        expertise in enhancing school safety, including individuals 
        with backgrounds in counseling and psychology, education, law 
        enforcement and criminal justice, and community development to 
        assist in the consultation.
            (4) Information and outreach.--The Center shall compile 
        information about the best practices in school violence 
        prevention, intervention, and crisis management, and shall 
        serve as a clearinghouse for model school safety program 
        information. The staff of the Center shall work to ensure local 
        governments, school officials, parents, students, and law 
        enforcement officials and agencies are aware of the resources, 
        grants, and expertise available to enhance school safety and 
        prevent school crime. The staff of the Center shall give 
        special attention to providing outreach to rural and 
        impoverished communities.

SEC. 4. SAFE COMMUNITIES, SAFE SCHOOLS.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary of Education, the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services, and the Attorney General may award 
grants, on a competitive basis, to help communities develop community-
wide safety programs involving students, parents, educators, guidance 
counselors, psychologists, law enforcement officials or agencies, civic 
leaders, and other organizations serving the community.
    (b) Authorized Activities.--Funds provided to carry out this Act 
may be used for activities that may include efforts to--
            (1) increase early intervention strategies;
            (2) expand parental involvement;
            (3) increase students' awareness of warning signs of 
        violent behavior;
            (4) promote students' responsibility to report the warning 
        signs to appropriate persons;
            (5) promote conflict resolution and peer mediation 
        programs;
            (6) increase the number of after-school programs;
            (7) expand the use of safety-related equipment and 
        technology; and
            (8) expand students' access to mental health services.

SEC. 5. AMENDMENTS TO THE NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION ACT OF 1993.

    Section 5(10) of the National Child Protection Act of 1993 (42 
U.S.C. 5119c(10)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(10) the term `qualified entity' means--
                    ``(A) a business or organization, whether public, 
                private, for-profit, not-for-profit, or voluntary, that 
                provides care or care placement services, including a 
                business or organization that licenses or certifies 
                others to provide care or care placement services; or
                    ``(B) an elementary or secondary school.''.

Summary: School Safety Enhancement Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Education and the Attorney General jointly to: (1) establish a National Center for School and Youth Safety. And (2) appoint a Director to oversee the Center's operation. Allows the Center to be established at an existing facility with a history of performing two or more of the following Center duties, which include specified activities with respect to elementary and secondary school safety: (1) emergency response, (2) anonymous student hotline, (3) consultation. And (4) information and outreach activities. Authorizes the Secretary, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants to help communities develop community-wide safety programs, including certain authorized activities, involving students, parents, educators, guidance counselors, psychologists, law enforcement officials or agencies, civic leaders, and other organizations serving the community. Amends the National Child Protection Act of 1993 to include elementary or secondary schools among those qualified entities that a State may designate as required to contact an authorized State agency to request a nationwide criminal background check of certain employees and other child care providers.