117 HR 8009 IH: Student and Teacher Safety Act of 2022
U.S. House of Representatives
2022-06-09
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I
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8009
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.
1.

Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Student and Teacher Safety Act of 2022”.
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:
“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.”.