| HB 31 - Schools; safety policies; DPS; School Security Officer Division |
First Reader Summary
A BILL to amend Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of
Georgia Annotated, relating to elementary and secondary
education, so as to provide for the safety of public schools,
students, school personnel, visitors, and public school property;
and for other purposes.
| House |
Action |
Senate |
| 1/12/99 |
Read 1st Time |
|
| 1/13/99 |
Read 2nd Time |
|
HB 31 LC 18 9106
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1- 1 To amend Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of
1- 2 Georgia Annotated, relating to elementary and secondary
1- 3 education, so as to provide for the safety of public
1- 4 schools, students, school personnel, visitors, and public
1- 5 school property; to provide for emergency communication; to
1- 6 provide for crisis and emergency management programs; to
1- 7 provide for the use of monitoring equipment and conditions
1- 8 and limitations regarding the use thereof; to amend Chapter
1- 9 2 of Title 35 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
1-10 relating to the Department of Public Safety, so as to
1-11 provide for school security officers and their
1-12 qualifications, powers, duties, and authority; to provide
1-13 for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for
1-14 other purposes.
1-15 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
1-16 SECTION 1.
1-17 Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia
1-18 Annotated, relating to elementary and secondary education,
1-19 is amended by adding a new article at the end thereof, to be
1-20 designated Article 32, to read as follows:
1-21 20-2-2100.
1-22 In order to be eligible to receive state funding pursuant
1-23 to Code Sections 20-2-161 and 20-2-260, each local board
1-24 of education shall adopt and implement a policy applicable
1-25 to each public school of any combination of grades K
1-26 through 12 which incorporates the requirements of this
1-27 article.
1-28 20-2-2101.
1-29 Local boards of education shall provide for the safety of
1-30 public schools, students, school personnel, visitors, and
1-31 public school property by:
-1-
2- 1 (1) Employing not fewer than one school security officer
2- 2 for each public school;
2- 3 (2) Maintaining, for each public school, not fewer than
2- 4 one separate, direct contact telephone line or other
2- 5 means of communication which means of communication is
2- 6 dedicated to the exclusive use of school emergency
2- 7 purposes;
2- 8 (3) Developing and maintaining for each public school,
2- 9 in coordination with the sheriff and county police
2-10 department, a crisis and emergency management program;
2-11 and
2-12 (4)(A) Providing for the use of monitoring equipment
2-13 in each public school if the use of monitoring
2-14 equipment is in compliance with the requirements of
2-15 this paragraph. Monitoring equipment which may be so
2-16 used shall include video cameras, tape recorders, or
2-17 other similar equipment for capturing or recording
2-18 video images or sound or both.
2-19 (B) In order to use or provide for the use of
2-20 monitoring equipment, the local board of education
2-21 shall comply with all of the following requirements:
2-22 (i) Monitoring equipment shall be used only for the
2-23 purposes of ensuring the safety of public schools,
2-24 students, school personnel, visitors, and public
2-25 school property;
2-26 (ii) Prior to commencing the use of monitoring
2-27 equipment and annually thereafter, the local board
2-28 of education shall develop a written plan for the
2-29 use of monitoring equipment and shall file a copy of
2-30 the written plan with the crisis and emergency
2-31 management program. The local board of education
2-32 shall implement appropriate training to ensure that
2-33 all school staff are thoroughly familiar with the
2-34 contents of the plan;
2-35 (iii) Prior to commencing the use of monitoring
2-36 equipment, and as a condition of continued use, the
2-37 local board of education shall provide a written and
2-38 oral explanation of the plan to each member of the
2-39 school staff and a written explanation of the plan
2-40 to the parent or guardian of each student;
2-41 (iv) The administrator shall post a prominent notice
2-42 at the school in substantially the following form:
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3- 1 'USE OF VIDEO AND SOUND MONITORING EQUIPMENT:
3- 2 This school makes use of video cameras, tape
3- 3 recorders, or other similar equipment for
3- 4 monitoring activities for safety and security.
3- 5 Such use is authorized by Official Code of Georgia
3- 6 Annotated Section 20-2-2101. For more information
3- 7 concerning monitoring in this school, you may
3- 8 request a copy of the school's written monitoring
3- 9 plan.'
3-10 A copy of the notice shall be posted in at least the
3-11 following places: each public entrance to the
3-12 school; each reception area of the school in which
3-13 visitors are first received in the school; and each
3-14 common area of the school in which students and
3-15 visitors assemble for group activities;
3-16 (v) The local board of education shall take
3-17 reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure that the
3-18 monitoring equipment is used only for its intended
3-19 purposes. Such steps shall include:
3-20 (I) Restriction of access to viewing or hearing
3-21 live or recorded video tape or audio tape to those
3-22 persons expressly authorized by the local board of
3-23 education for the intended purposes of this
3-24 paragraph;
3-25 (II) The prohibition of any dissemination of any
3-26 part of the contents of any live or recorded video
3-27 tape or audio tape or any information contained
3-28 therein except as necessary for the intended
3-29 purposes of this paragraph; and
3-30 (III) The prompt destruction or erasure of any
3-31 video tape, audio tape, or other record of
3-32 monitoring which record is not needed for the
3-33 intended purposes of this paragraph. Such
3-34 destruction or erasure shall be completed within
3-35 24 hours after the initial recording.
3-36 (C) No local board of education or person acting under
3-37 the authority of a local board of education shall
3-38 incur any civil or criminal liability for actions
3-39 which are authorized by and carried out in substantial
3-40 compliance with this paragraph."
-3-
4- 1 SECTION 2.
4- 2 Chapter 2 of Title 35 of the Official Code of Georgia
4- 3 Annotated, relating to the Department of Public Safety, is
4- 4 amended by adding a new article at the end thereof, to be
4- 5 designated Article 5, to read as follows:
4- 6 35-2-100.
4- 7 There is established the School Security Officer Division
4- 8 within the department.
4- 9 35-2-101.
4-10 (a) While in the performance of their duties, such school
4-11 security officers shall have the same powers of arrest and
4-12 the same powers to enforce law and order as the sheriff of
4-13 the county and the chief of police of the municipality in
4-14 this state in which any such security officers are
4-15 performing their duties.
4-16 (b) While in the performance of their duties, such school
4-17 security officers shall also be authorized to exercise
4-18 such powers and duties as are authorized by law for
4-19 members of the Uniform Division of the department.
4-20 35-2-102.
4-21 All persons employed as school security officers shall be
4-22 compensated in an amount to be prescribed by the
4-23 commissioner in accordance with the same salary schedule
4-24 as received by teachers in the county in which the officer
4-25 serves. All persons employed as school security officers
4-26 shall be furnished with and shall wear such distinctive
4-27 uniforms and equipment as may be prescribed by the
4-28 commissioner.
4-29 35-2-103.
4-30 All persons employed as school security officers shall be
4-31 subject to the same qualifications and training and shall
4-32 have the same powers, duties, and authority as the Uniform
4-33 Division of the department.
4-34 35-2-104.
4-35 It shall be the primary duty of the School Security
4-36 Officer Division to safeguard the lives and property of
4-37 the public. The School Security Officer Division shall
4-38 prevent, detect, and investigate violations of the
-4-
5- 1 criminal laws of this state which are committed upon
5- 2 public school property or upon property appertaining
5- 3 thereto and shall apprehend and arrest those persons who
5- 4 violate such criminal laws."
5- 5 SECTION 3.
5- 6 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are
5- 7 repealed.
-5-
Clerk of the House
Robert E. Rivers, Jr., Clerk
Last Updated on 02/24/99
