Title: Student and Teacher Safety Act of 2022
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Student and Teacher Safety Act of 2022
This bill allows local educational agencies to use certain federal funds for activities related to school safety, including infrastructure improvements to prevent, mitigate, or respond to incidents of school violence.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8009 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8009

                       To improve school safety.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 9, 2022

 Mr. Grothman (for himself, Ms. Mace, and Mr. Griffith) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                                 Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
                       To improve school safety.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Student and Teacher Safety Act of 
2022''.

SEC. 2. SUPPORTING SAFER SCHOOLS.

    (a) Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants.--Subpart 1 of 
part A of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7111 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating sections 4109 through 4112 as sections 
        4110 through 4113, respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after section 4108 the following:

``SEC. 4109. ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT SCHOOL SAFETY AND PREVENT VIOLENCE 
              AGAINST STUDENTS OR SCHOOL PERSONNEL.

    ``Each local educational agency, or consortium of such agencies, 
that receives an allocation under section 4105(a) may use such funds 
for school safety infrastructure improvements to prevent, mitigate, or 
respond to incidents of violence.''.
    (b) Definitions.--Section 4102 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7112) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (5)(B), by inserting ``including the 
        prevention of gun violence,'' after ``school safety,'';
            (2) by redesignating paragraphs (7) and (8) as paragraphs 
        (8) and (9), respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (6) the following:
            ``(7) School safety infrastructure improvements.--The term 
        `school safety infrastructure improvements' means improvements 
        to the physical facility or technology of a school to prevent 
        intruders from entering a school, ensure students and school 
        personnel may safely enter the school building and exit during 
        an emergency, or protect the life and well-being of students 
        and school personnel, including--
                    ``(A) physical improvements to the school to 
                prevent and deter unauthorized access to the school, 
                including locks, double entry systems, hardened 
                entrances, and interior and exterior video surveillance 
                systems;
                    ``(B) security doors, automatic locks, security 
                glass, alarm systems, metal detectors, and sensor 
                systems;
                    ``(C) emergency communications systems, including 
                wireless and geographically precise mobile alert 
                systems;
                    ``(D) perimeter fencing;
                    ``(E) emergency exit systems;
                    ``(F) duress or panic systems;
                    ``(G) emergency tip lines; and
                    ``(H) any other physical improvements to existing 
                facilities where the primary purpose is to improve or 
                enhance school safety.''.
    (c) Formula Grants to States.--Section 4103(a) of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7113(a)) is amended, in 
the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ``section 4112'' and 
inserting ``section 4113''.
    (d) State Use of Funds.--Section 4104(b)(3)(B) of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7114(b)(3)(B)) is 
amended--
            (1) in clause (iii), by striking ``and'' at the end; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(v) improving the safety and security of 
                        schools, which may include--
                                    ``(I) identifying and disseminating 
                                best practices for school safety;
                                    ``(II) assisting in the 
                                establishment or implementation of 
                                emergency planning, which may include 
                                emergency response teams to address 
                                emergencies at schools;
                                    ``(III) establishing or identifying 
                                agreements with local law enforcement 
                                and health agencies, including 
                                nonprofit, public, and private mental 
                                health agencies and institutions, to 
                                improve coordination of services and 
                                identify threats to the safety of 
                                students and school personnel; and
                                    ``(IV) school safety infrastructure 
                                improvements; and''.
    (e) Local Educational Agency Applications.--Section 4106(e) of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7116(e)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (D)--
                            (i) by striking ``4109'' and inserting 
                        ``4110''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``and'' at the end;
                    (B) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as 
                subparagraph (F); and
                    (C) by inserting after subparagraph (D), the 
                following:
                    ``(E) if applicable, how funds will be used for 
                activities related to supporting school safety 
                infrastructure improvements under section 4109; and''; 
                and
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``, including 
                charter schools where applicable,'' after ``schools'';
                    (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) and (F) as 
                subparagraphs (F) and (G), respectively;
                    (C) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the 
                following:
                    ``(E) use a portion of funds received under this 
                subpart to support one or more of the activities 
                authorized under section 4109;''; and
                    (D) in subparagraph (F), as so redesignated--
                            (i) by striking ``section 4109(a)'' and 
                        inserting ``section 4110(a)''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``section 4109(b)'' and 
                        inserting ``section 4110(b)''.
    (f) Activities To Support Safe and Healthy Students.--Section 4108 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7118) 
is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking 
        ``Subject to'' and inserting the following:
    ``(a) In General.--Subject to'';
            (2) in subsection (a)(5) (as amended by paragraph (1))--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B), in the matter preceding 
                clause (i), by striking ``4111'' and inserting 
                ``4112''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``4111'' and 
                inserting ``4112''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to--
            ``(1) prevent Federal, State, or local law enforcement from 
        detaining or arresting an individual who could otherwise be 
        detained or arrested for an alleged violent offense;
            ``(2) otherwise interfere with Federal, State, or local law 
        enforcement's discretion to investigate legitimate threats to 
        school safety; or
            ``(3) discourage school officials from referring an 
        individual to law enforcement.''.
    (g) Activities To Support the Effective Use of Technology.--Section 
4110 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7119), as redesignated by subsection (a), is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(7) providing technology to improve school safety.''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``A local'' and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(1) In general.--A local''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Exception.--The limitation described in paragraph (1) 
        shall not apply to technology infrastructure that is also a 
        school safety infrastructure improvement.''.
    (h) Technical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 2 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act is amended by striking the items 
relating to sections 4109, 4110, 4111, and 4112 and inserting the 
following:

``Sec. 4109. Activities to support school safety and prevent violence 
                            against students or school personnel.
``Sec. 4110. Activities to support the effective use of technology.
``Sec. 4111. Supplement, not supplant.
``Sec. 4112. Rule of construction.
``Sec. 4113. Authorization of appropriations.''.
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