safety; school procedures; criminal classification

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific information about the consequences for failing to follow the rules or implementation costs, which were included in the candidate explanation.

School Safety Policy and Reporting Requirements

HB4109 requires school districts to create a safety policy, report incidents involving violence or dangerous weapons, and post annual safety reports on their websites.

What This Bill Does

• Requires each school district governing board to adopt a public safety policy that includes procedures for dealing with violent situations.
• Needs the superintendent of schools to notify parents and staff about any incident involving life-threatening violence within 24 hours.
• The superintendent must call police if they know about dangerous weapons or threats involving deadly weapons on school grounds.
• Schools must take away dangerous items until police can handle them properly.
• Each year, schools need to put a safety report online that shows how many lockdowns, evacuations, and incidents with dangerous items happened in the last three years.

Who It Names or Affects

• All school districts in Arizona
• Parents of students
• School employees

Terms To Know

Class 1 misdemeanor

A serious crime that can lead to jail time and fines.

Law enforcement officer (LEO)

Police or other officers who enforce the law.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if a school fails to follow these rules.
• It is unclear how much this will cost schools to implement.
• There are no details on how parents and staff can check if their school is following the new safety policies.

Official Summary Text

HB4109 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
ED���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� FOR
COMMITTEE

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

FACT SHEET FOR
H.B. 4109

safety; school procedures;
criminal classification

Purpose

Requires each
school district governing board (governing board) to adopt a public school
safety policy that meets outlined requirements, including requirements on a
school district superintendent to notify parents, employees and law enforcement
officers (LEOs) of any incident involving life-threatening violence as
specified. Requires each school district to annually post a public safety
report that includes outlined information and data relating to the number of
incidents that occurred in the three immediately preceding school years.
Determines that a school district superintendent and each governing board
member who violates the prescribed public safety policy requirements is guilty
of a class 1 misdemeanor. Designates this legislation as
Michael's Law
.

Background

Each governing board and charter school governing body (governing body) must
prescribe and enforce policies and procedures for school personnel to report:
1) any suspected crime against a person or property that is a serious offense
or� involves a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument or serious physical injury;
and 2) any conduct that poses a threat of death or serious physical injury to
an employee, student or other person on the school property. The policies must prescribe
a process for employees to document and report the conduct, including
specifying the employees responsible for making a report to the local law
enforcement agency (LEA). Each governing board and governing body must also prescribe
and enforce policies and procedures that require the school district or charter
school to notify the parent or guardian of each student who is involved in a
suspected crime or other outlined conduct, subject to the requirements of
federal law. A person who violates the outlined reporting requirements may be
disciplined for violating the governing board's or governing body's policies and
may be subject to dismissal (
A.R.S.
� 15-153
).

Each governing board must prescribe and enforce policies and procedures
that prohibit a person from carrying or possessing a weapon on school grounds
unless the person is a peace officer or has obtained specific authorization
from the school administrator (
A.R.S.
� 15-341
).

There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund
associated with this legislation.

Provisions

1.

Requires
each governing board to adopt a public safety policy that:

a)

clearly prescribes public safety procedures and protocols;

b)

designates the school district superintendent as the administrator who
is responsible for implementing the public safety policy; and

c)

requires the school district superintendent to:

i.

provide written notification to students' parents and school employees
within 24 hours of any incident involving life-threatening violence, a threat
of life-threatening violence or a threat of violence involving a deadly weapon
or dangerous instrument that occurs in connection with the school district;

ii.

immediately
notify a LEO if the school district superintendent is notified of, or
personally observes, an incident involving life-threatening violence, a threat
of life-threatening violence or a threat of violence involving a deadly weapon
or dangerous instrument;

iii.

confiscate, or
designate one or more school administrators at each campus who are responsible
for confiscating, any dangerous instrument or deadly weapon that is possessed
by any person on school property in violation of school policies or that is
used in connection with an incident as prescribed until a LEO is able to take
custody of the dangerous instrument or deadly weapon; and

iv.

notify a LEO that the school district superintendent confiscated a
dangerous instrument or a deadly weapon as soon as practicable following the
confiscation.

2.

Specifies that a school district superintendent's written notification
must include information about the nature of the incident and the school's
response.

3.

Specifies that the school districts superintendent's written
notification requirements do not require or authorize the school district
superintendent to disclose personally identifiable information about a student
who is involved in an incident.

4.

Stipulates
that, if a LEO who responds to an incident notifies the school district that
disclosure might materially compromise a pending criminal investigation or
prosecution, the school district superintendent must:

a)

request from the LEA that is responsible for the criminal investigation
a written request that the school district delay disclosure; and

b)

provide
the prescribed written notification to students' parents and school employees
as soon as practicable on receipt of notification that the investigation is
complete.

5.

Specifies that the requirement to notify a LEO of an incident involving
life-threatening violence does not limit or preclude a school district or a
school district employee from reporting a suspected crime that is a serious
offense or involves a deadly weapon, dangerous instrument or serious physical
injury or of any conduct that poses a threat of death or serious physical
injury as required by statute or school district policies.

6.

Prohibits a school district from taking any retaliatory action against
an employee, student's parent, student, state agent or any other person for
reporting a violation of the public safety policy requirements.

7.

Requires
each school district to annually compile and post a public safety report on the
school district's website that includes:

a)

the number of lockdowns, shelter-in-place events and evacuations that
occurred during each of the three immediately preceding school years;

b)

the number of incidents involving a deadly weapon or dangerous
instrument that occurred in connection with the school district during each of
the three immediately preceding school years;

c)

the number of incidents that the school district superintendent referred
to a LEO during each of the three immediately preceding school years; and

d)

a
summary of the school district's adopted public safety policy and a description
of the public safety policy's implementation.

8.

Determines that a school district superintendent who knowingly or
intentionally violates the prescribed public safety policy requirements without
good cause is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor.

9.

Determines that, if a governing board fails to adopt a public safety
policy that meets the prescribed requirements or if the governing board or any
school district employee violates the prescribed requirements, each governing
board member is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor.

10.

Allows
a governing board to satisfy the prescribed public safety policy requirements
by adopting an emergency response plan that includes the prescribed public
safety policy requirements.

11.

Specifies
that a school district is not required to include information in the annual
public safety report from any school year that begins before the general
effective date.

12.

Defines

dangerous instrument
and
deadly weapon
.

13.

Contains
a statement of legislative findings.

14.

Designates
this legislation as
Michael's Law
.

15.

Becomes
effective on the general effective date.

House Action

ED������������������ 2/17/26����� DP������ 7-4-0-1

3
rd
Read��������� 3/11/26����������������� 35-17-7-0-1

Prepared by
Senate Research

March 23, 2026

MH/KP/hk

Current Bill Text

HB4109 - 572R - H Ver

*Sponsorship has changed
since the bill was introduced

House Engrossed

safety; school
procedures; criminal classification

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HOUSE BILL 4109

AN
ACT

amending title 15, chapter 1, article 5,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-160.05; RELATING to school
safety requirements.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 15, chapter 1, article 5,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-160.05, to read:

START_STATUTE
15-160.05.

Public safety policy; school districts; requirements;
notifications; annual report; posting requirement; violations; classification;
definitions

A. Each school district governing
board shall adopt a public safety policy that:

1. Clearly prescribes public safety
procedures and protocols.

2. Designates the school district
superintendent as the administrator who is responsible for implementing the
public safety policy.

3. Requires the school district
superintendent to do all of the following:

(
a
)
Provide written notification to students' parents
and school employees
not later than twenty-four
hours after any incident involving life-threatening violence
, a threat of life-threatening violence
or
a threat of violence involving a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument that
occurs in connection with the school district.
A notification pursuant to this subdivision must include information
about the nature of the incident and the school's response. This subdivision
does not require or authorize the school district superintendent to disclose
personally identifiable information about a student who is involved in an
incident.� If a law enforcement officer who responds to an incident described
in this subdivision notifies the school district that disclosure might
materially compromise a pending criminal investigation or prosecution, the
superintendent shall:

(
i
) Request
from the law enforcement agency that is responsible for the criminal
investigation a written request that the school district delay disclosure.

(
ii
) Provide
the written notification required by this subdivision as soon as practicable on
receipt of notification that the investigation is complete.

(
b
) Immediately
notify a law enforcement officer if the school district superintendent is
notified of or personally observes an incident involving life-threatening
violence, a threat of life-threatening violence or a threat of violence
involving a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument. This subdivision does not
limit or preclude the reporting by a school district or an employee of a school
district of a suspected crime pursuant to section 15-341, subsection A,
paragraph 30 or school district policies.

(
c
) Confiscate
or designate one or more school administrators at each campus who are
responsible for confiscating any dangerous instrument or deadly weapon that is
possessed by any person on school property in violation of school policies or
that is used in connection with an incident described in subdivision (
a
) or (
b
) of this paragraph until a law
enforcement officer is able to take custody of the dangerous instrument or
deadly weapon.

(
d
) Notify a
law enforcement officer that the school district superintendent confiscated a
dangerous instrument or deadly weapon pursuant to subdivision (
c
) of this paragraph as soon as practicable following the confiscation.

B. A school district may not take any
retaliatory action against an employee, a student's parent, a student, an agent
of this state or any other person for reporting a violation of this section.

C. Each school district shall
annually compile and post a public safety report on the school district's
website that includes all of the following information:

1. The number of lockdowns, shelter-in-place
events and evacuations that occurred during each of the three immediately
preceding school years.

2. The number of incidents involving
a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument that occurred in connection with the
school district during each of the three immediately preceding school years.

3. The number of incidents that the
school district superintendent referred to a law enforcement officer during
each of the three immediately preceding school years.

4. A summary of the public safety
policy adopted pursuant to subsection A of this section and a description of
the implementation of the policy.

D. A
school district superintendent who
knowingly or
intentionally violates the requirements prescribed in subsection A, paragraph 3
of this section
without good cause Is guilty of a
class
1 MISDEMEANOR.

E. If a school district governing
board fails to adopt a public safety policy that meets the requirements
prescribed by subsection A of this section or if the school district governing
board or any employee of the school district violates subsection B of this
section, each member of the school district governing board
Is guilty of a class

1 MISDEMEANOR.

F. A school district governing board
may satisfy the requirements prescribed by subsection A of this section by
adopting an emergency response plan pursuant to section 15-341,
subsection A, paragraph 31 that includes the requirements prescribed by
subsection A of this section.

G. For the purposes of this section,
"dangerous instrument" and "deadly weapon" have the same
meanings prescribed in section 13-105.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 2.
Implementation

A school district is not required to
include information from any school year that begins before the effective date
of this act in the annual public safety report required by section 15-160.05,
subsection C, Arizona Revised Statutes, as added by this act.

Sec. 3.
Legislative findings

The legislature finds that:

1. A school district's
timely notification to students' parents and school employees of incidents that
involve life-threatening violence, threats of life-threatening
violence or threats that involve a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument as
defined in section 13-105, Arizona Revised Statutes, is essential to
protect student safety.

2. A school district's
escalation of incidents that involve a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument as
defined in section 13-105, Arizona Revised Statutes, to law enforcement
officers is ministerial and not discretionary.

3. A school district
official's knowing or intentional failure to comply with escalation or
notification requirements for public safety incidents endangers students and
undermines public trust.

4. Criminal classification
is appropriate when a school district official knowingly or intentionally fails
to perform the official's public safety duties as prescribed by law.

Sec. 4.
Short title

This act may be cited as
"Michael's Law".