as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026) Posted on 02/10/2025 04:11pm
A bill for an act
relating to education; requiring student and staff safety measures to be included
in each school district's long-term facilities maintenance school facility plan;
increasing safe schools funding; creating school security systems grants;
appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 123B.595,
subdivision 4.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
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This act shall be known as the "Safe Haven In Every Local District (SHIELD) Act."
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Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 123B.595, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
(a) To qualify for revenue under this section, a school district
or intermediate district, not including a charter school, must have a ten-year facility plan
adopted by the school board and approved by the commissioner. The plan must include
provisions for implementing a health and safety program that complies with health, safety,
and environmental regulations and best practices, including indoor air quality management
and remediation of lead hazards. For planning purposes, the plan must also address provisions
for providing a gender-neutral single-user restroom at each school site.
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(b) The facilities plan must also include a safe schools plan for each school site identifying
physical modifications to improve student and staff safety at the school site.
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deleted text begin (b)deleted text end new text begin (c)new text end The district must annually update the plan, submit the plan to the commissioner
for approval by July 31, and indicate whether the district will issue bonds to finance the
plan or levy for the costs.
deleted text begin (c)deleted text end new text begin (d)new text end For school districts issuing bonds to finance the plan, the plan must include a
debt service schedule demonstrating that the debt service revenue required to pay the principal
and interest on the bonds each year will not exceed the projected long-term facilities revenue
for that year.
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This section is effective for plans submitted to the commissioner
on or after August 1, 2025.
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(a) $....... in fiscal year 2026 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of public safety to issue school security grants to school districts and charter schools, in
consultation with the Minnesota School Safety Center.
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(b) A school district or charter school may apply for a grant in the form and manner
specified by the commissioner. The commissioner may establish timelines for grant
applications and may award grants in more than one round. Applications for the last round
of grants must be received by the commissioner no later than August 1, 2025.
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(c) The Minnesota School Safety Center must rank applicants based on the proposed
plan for school security system installation and the commissioner must award grants in a
manner consistent with the ranking. The grants must be awarded to schools located in all
geographic regions of the state and priority must be given to facilities serving the largest
number of students within that geographic region.
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(d) The Minnesota School Safety Center must prepare a list of vendors authorized to
provide the security services and products listed in this paragraph. The Minnesota School
Safety Center must only include vendors that have been operating for at least two years and
that have experience providing the school security services described in this paragraph. A
school district or charter school must use grant money to contract with an approved vendor
for implementation and installation of a comprehensive, multilayered, integrated security
system, including an evaluation of a school site's current security systems, and training for
school staff on using the security systems. The security systems must include a system to
alert local law enforcement of an immediate security threat within each room in the school.
A comprehensive, multilayered, integrated security system must include as many of the
following components that an authorized vendor determines may be installed:
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(1) bullet-resistant interior doors and windows;
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(2) ballistic wall panels;
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(3) magnetic door-locking systems;
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(4) remote lock-down activation systems;
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(5) a mass notification system unified with an emergency communication system;
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(6) an emergency building access system for first responders including fire, emergency
medical services, and law enforcement personnel;
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(7) an access control system with remote door-release capabilities;
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(8) electronic access controls for main distribution frame and independent distribution
frame rooms with a key override;
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(9) classroom duress alarms linked to a law enforcement and administration notification
system;
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(10) security system training for staff to initiate emergency protocols;
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(11) ballistic security glass for interior door vision panels and sidelites;
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(12) electronic access control systems for primary building entrances; and
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(13) classroom door installations that optimize safety and security.
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(e) The Minnesota School Safety Center must identify vendors that provide the services
and systems required under paragraph (d) and provide districts and charter schools with a
list of approved vendors.
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(f) The Department of Public Safety may retain up to 2.5 percent of the appropriation
to administer the grant, including for the Minnesota School Safety Center to provide districts
and charter schools with technical assistance.
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(g) By February 1 following each year a grant is awarded under this section, the
Minnesota School Safety Center must report to the commissioner of public safety on the
number and amount of grant awards, a description of each grant recipient's purchased items
and the vendors contracted for school security system installation and technical assistance,
and considerations for future school security grant funding, management, and installation.
Within two weeks of receiving a report from the Minnesota School Safety Center, the
commissioner of public safety must provide the report to the chairs and ranking minority
members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade
12 education policy and finance, and public safety policy and finance.
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(h) This is a onetime appropriation and is available until June 30, 2028.
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