1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; establishing a school safety video analytics grant program; 
1.3 	requiring a report; appropriating money;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
1.4 	Statutes, chapter 123B.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. [123B.573] SCHOOL SAFETY VIDEO ANALYTICS GRANT PROGRAM.
1.7 		Subdivision 1.Program established. The commissioner must establish a voluntary 
1.8 	grant program to assist school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools in 
1.9 	implementing school safety video analytics software that operates on existing camera 
1.10 	infrastructure.
1.11 		Subd. 2.Eligible uses. (a) Grant money awarded under this section may be used for the 
1.12 	acquisition, licensing, implementation, training, and maintenance of video analytics software 
1.13 	designed to enhance school safety, including but not limited to:
1.14 	(1) early threat detection and situational awareness;
1.15 	(2) monitoring of unauthorized access, unsecured entry points, or restricted areas;
1.16 	(3) real-time alerting to school officials and first responders during safety incidents, 
1.17 	which may incorporate automated notifications; and
1.18 	(4) operational safety functions that reduce manual monitoring burdens on school staff.
1.19 	(b) Grant money awarded under this section must not be used to purchase new camera 
1.20 	hardware except where necessary to integrate with existing camera systems.
2.1 		Subd. 3.Voluntary participation; local control. Participation in the program is 
2.2 	voluntary. Nothing in this section requires a school district, charter school, or nonpublic 
2.3 	school to adopt or use video analytics software. A participating school retains local control 
2.4 	over implementation, configuration, and operational policies.
2.5 		Subd. 4.Data privacy; safeguards. (a) A school using video analytics software funded 
2.6 	under this section must comply with all applicable state and federal data privacy laws, 
2.7 	including chapter 13, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, United States 
2.8 	Code, title 20, section 1232g.
2.9 	(b) A video analytics system must employ privacy-protective features, including facial 
2.10 	image masking by default, to ensure safety monitoring does not identify individuals unless 
2.11 	required to for a defined and documented security purpose.
2.12 	(c) Facial recognition capabilities, if enabled, must be limited to narrowly defined, 
2.13 	high-risk watch lists established by the school or district and governed by written local 
2.14 	policy.
2.15 	(d) Data collected under this program may be used only for school safety and operational 
2.16 	purposes and must not be used for general surveillance or student discipline unrelated to 
2.17 	safety.
2.18 		Subd. 5.Grant awards. (a) A school district, charter school, or nonpublic school must 
2.19 	apply for a school safety video analytics grant in the form and manner prescribed by the 
2.20 	commissioner.
2.21 	(b) In awarding grants, the commissioner must give priority to applicants that:
2.22 	(1) to the extent practicable, utilize existing camera infrastructure and demonstrate an 
2.23 	ability to operate across multiple systems and cameras to minimize cost;
2.24 	(2) demonstrate a documented school safety need;
2.25 	(3) demonstrate a plan for staff training and incident response planning; and
2.26 	(4) provide for evaluation of outcomes over time, including the effectiveness of artificial 
2.27 	intelligence-based video analytics in improving early threat detection, reducing response 
2.28 	time during safety incidents, and decreasing the need for continuous manual monitoring of 
2.29 	security camera feeds.
2.30 	(c) The commissioner must award at least three grants to public schools and at least 
2.31 	three grants to nonpublic schools located in the seven-county metropolitan area. The 
3.1 	commissioner must award at least three grants to public schools and at least three grants to 
3.2 	nonpublic schools located outside of the seven-county metropolitan area.
3.3 		Subd. 6.Reporting. By January 15, 2027, and each year thereafter, the commissioner 
3.4 	must submit a report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees 
3.5 	with jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade 12 education finance and policy. The 
3.6 	report must include, at a minimum:
3.7 	(1) grant recipients and award amounts;
3.8 	(2) general categories of grant-funded activities;
3.9 	(3) observed safety or operational outcomes; and
3.10 	(4) any recommendations for statutory changes.

3.11 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2026.

3.12 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; SCHOOL SAFETY VIDEO ANALYTICS GRANTS.
 3.13 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The sum indicated in this section is 
3.14 	appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education in the fiscal year 
3.15 	indicated.
3.16 		Subd. 2.School safety video analytics grants. (a) For school safety video analytics 
3.17 	grants under Minnesota Statutes, section 123B.573:

3.18		$
	.......
	.....
	2027
	
3.19 	(b) If the grant application amounts exceed the available grant funds, the commissioner 
3.20 	must prorate the grant awards.
3.21 	(c) Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, section 16B.98, subdivision 14, up to $....... of 
3.22 	the appropriation is available for grant administration.
3.23 	(d) The base is $....... for fiscal year 2028 and later.