2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 24 - GOVERNMENT - STATE (§§ 24-1-101 — 24-116-102) › PRINCIPAL DEPARTMENTS (§§ 24-30-101 — 24-36-306) › Article 33.5 - Public Safety (§§ 24-33.5-101 — 24-33.5-2704) › Part 18 - SCHOOL SAFETY RESOURCE CENTER (§§ 24-33.5-1801 — 24-33.5-1811) › Section 24-33.5-1803 - School safety resource center - created - duties

(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 sexually explicit image 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 within seventy-two hours after receiving the image; 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.
Amended by 2023 Ch. 120,§ 2, eff. 4/27/2023.
Amended by 2021 Ch. 49, § 3, eff. 9/7/2021.
Amended by 2019 Ch. 404, § 3, eff. 8/2/2019.
Amended by 2018 Ch. 333, § 3, eff. 8/8/2018.
Amended by 2017 Ch. 390, § 6, eff. 1/1/2018.
Amended by 2015 Ch. 277, § 1, eff. 6/5/2015.
Amended by 2013 Ch. 253, § 6, eff. 5/23/2013.
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. 655, p. 655, § 7, effective May 13; (3)(g) added, (SB 11-173), ch. 1517, p. 1517, § 6, effective June 10. L. 2012: (3)(g) amended, (HB 12-1283), ch. 1134, p. 1134, § 46, effective July 1. L. 2013: (3)(i), (3)(j), and (3)(k) added, (SB 13-138), ch. 1343, p. 1343, § 6, effective May 23. L. 2015: (3)(j) and (3)(k) amended and (3)(l) added, (SB 15-020), ch. 1131, p. 1131, § 1, effective June 5. L. 2017: (3)(k) and (3)(l) amended and (3)(m) added, (HB 17-1302), ch. 2016, p. 2016, § 6, effective 1/1/2018. L. 2018: (3)(l) and (3)(m) amended and (3)(n) added, (SB 18-272), ch. 2005, p. 2005, § 3, effective August 8. L. 2019: (3)(l) amended, (HB 19-1051), ch. 3577, p. 3577, § 3, effective August 2.
Subsection (3)(i)(II) provided for the repeal of subsection (3)(i), effective July 1, 2018. (See L. 2013, p. 1343.)
(1) For the legislative declaration in the 2011 act adding subsection (3)(g), see section 1 of chapter 310, Session Laws of Colorado 2011. (2) For the legislative declaration in the 2012 act amending subsection (3)(g), see section 1 of chapter 240, Session Laws of Colorado 2012. (3) For the legislative declaration in the 2013 act adding subsections (3)(i), (3)(j), and (3)(k), see section 1 of chapter 253, Session Laws of Colorado 2013. (4) For the legislative declaration in HB 17-1302 stating the purpose of, and the provision directing legislative service agencies to conduct, a post-enactment review pursuant to § 2-2-1201 scheduled in 2020, see sections 1 and 7 of chapter 390, Session Laws of Colorado 2017. To obtain a copy of the review, once completed, go to "Legislative Resources and Requirements" on the Colorado General Assembly's website. (5) For the legislative declaration in SB 18-272, see section 1 of chapter 333, Session Laws of Colorado 2018. (6) For the legislative declaration in HB 21-1119, see section 1 of chapter 49, Session Laws of Colorado 2021.