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Safe to Learn Act

Safe to Learn Act

Important Information:

Find out more about the Safe to Learn Act 

Final Legislation Approved by Governor Hogan

Signed MOUs:

Maryland Safe to Learn Act

Each LEA:

  • shall designate a School Safety Coordinator, who:
    • Is certified by the Center
    • And will serve as the liaison between the LEA, local law enforcement, and the Center (P. 24)
  • shall appoint a Mental Health Services Coordinator, who shall
    • Coordinate existing mental health services and referral procedures within the LEA
    • Collaborate with the local health department, DSS, and local mental health organizations to ensure that a referred student receives the necessary services
    • Maximize external funding for mental health and wraparound services
    • Develop plans for delivering behavioral health and wraparound services to students who exhibit behaviors of concern (PP. 32-33)

Each LEA:

  • shall post information on the role and authority of their SROs on their website (P. 28)
  • shall collaborate with local law enforcement to establish policies for responding to an emergency at one of their schools (P. 29)
  • shall promptly inform the Center of any critical, life-threatening incidents that occur on school grounds
    • Immediately after reporting any such incident, the LEA shall host an after-action review of and evaluations of lessons learned from the event
    • The LEA shall invite the Center, local law enforcement, and emergency responders to participate
    • The LEA shall file a report with the Center regarding the after-action review and evaluation (P. 31)
  • shall file a report with the Center identifying
    • The high schools in the LEA that are assigned a SRO,
    • For high schools not assigned a SRO, the adequate local law enforcement coverage that will be provided to the high school (P. 27)

The Maryland Center for School Safety Sub-cabinet is required to develop a Model Policy for the establishment of an assessment team (or teams) in each LEA (PP. 22-24)

The Center, in consultation with the LEAs, shall develop a specialized training curriculum

For SROs and school security employees (PP. 24-25)

Each local Superintendent shall  certify to the State Superintendent that the LEA has an emergency plan in place addressing the requirements in, and will be conducting the drills required in COMAR 13A.02.02.04

The Center in collaboration with local law enforcement and the LEAs,shall utilize initial data collected from the LEAs regarding the SROs and local law enforcement/school employees serving as SROs in each HS/MS/ES to develop Guidelines to assist LEAs to:

  • Identify the appropriate number and assignment of SROs, including supplemental coverage by law enforcement agencies, and
  • Collaborating and communicating with local law enforcement (PP. 26-27)

The Center shall  develop and submit a Model SRO Training Program to the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission for Approval (P. 25)

Each LEA shall  conduct a safety evaluation of each of the schools under its jurisdiction (which includes CPCS)

  • Identifying, and, if necessary, develop physical safety concerns, including building security
  • Identifying and evaluating any patterns of safety concerns on school property or at school-sponsored events
  • The LEA must submit a summary of the completed evaluation to the Center

In performing the safety evaluations, the School Safety Coordinator shall  consult with the Center for guidance, and coordinate with the Interagency Committee on School Construction’s Facility Assessment process in identifying facility issues that could impact school safety (PP. 29-30)

Each LEA, in consultation with local law enforcement, shall develop a plan to implement the Center’s Guidelines, and submit the plan to the Center for review and comment (P. 27)

Each LEA shall  adopt a policy providing for the establishment of an assessment team (or teams) that is consistent with the Sub-Cabinet’s Model Policy

The Policy must include

  • A process for regular assessment and intervention, including diversion and de-escalation, if an individual exhibits behavior that poses a threat to the safety of another person attending or working in a public school
  • Standards for timely response and procedures for coordination among the members of the assessment team, including referral to local law enforcement, the LEA, and the local Superintendent of information that an individual may pose a threat of violence to the school
  • Standards and procedures for referral of an individual for evaluation, services, or treatment when appropriate (P. 24)

Each SRO must have completed the Model Training Program developed by the Center, and approved by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission, or a Training Program developed by a local law enforcement agency, and approved by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission (P. 26)

Each LEA School Security Employee shall complete the Model Training Program developed by the Center, and approved by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission (PP. 25-26)

Beginning with the 2019-2020 School Year and each school year thereafter  

Each LEA shall file a report with the Center, identifying

  • The schools in the LEA that are assigned a SRO,
  • For schools not assigned a SRO, the adequate local law enforcement coverage that will be provided to the high school (PP. 27-28)

MSDE, in consultation with the Center and LEAs, will update the Emergency Planning Guidelines based upon the LEA school safety evaluations (P. 30)

Each LEA shall  submit a report for the previous school year to the Center that

  • Aggregates data about threats made against any school or LEA facility
  • Contains information about any school lock downs, evacuations, or other emergency responses that occurred
  • Identifies any incident in which a school’s emergency plan failed in part or in whole to function as anticipated in an emergency drill,
  • Identifies the school hours spent in an emergency or emergency drill

Each LEA, in consultation with the Center, shall  update each emergency plan to correct any weaknesses reflected in the Report (P. 31)

Each LEA shall  update the emergency plan for each of its schools to

  • Include detailed plans for addressing behavioral threats, emergency events, and accommodating students with disabilities in emergency events
  • Conform with MSDE’s Emergency Planning Guidelines
  • Incorporate any changes required consistent with the LEA’s annual Emergency Plan Report
  • Submit the updated plans to the Center for review and comment (PP. 30-31)