Official Summary Text
SB1315 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet
Assigned to
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PASSED BY HOUSE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session
AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1315
public
schools; interoperable communications; requirements
Purpose
Requires each school district and charter school that receives monies
from the state or a local law enforcement agency (LEA) for interoperable
communications to establish and maintain interoperable communications
capabilities that include specified mechanisms to notify and communicate with
local LEAs during a school emergency. Outlines reporting requirements on public
schools and the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) relating to the
requirement to maintain interoperable communications capabilities.
Background
Each school district governing board and charter school governing body
must develop an emergency response plan for each school in conjunction with
local LEAs and emergency response agencies and in accordance with the minimum
standards developed by ADE and the Division of Emergency Management within the
Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. A school district's or charter
school's emergency response plan must address how the school and emergency
responders will communicate with and provide assistance to students with
disabilities (A.R.S.
��
15-183
and
15-341
).
Statute requires the Arizona Department of Administration to distribute
School Safety Interoperability Fund monies to a county sheriff or city or town
police department that establishes a school safety program. School Safety
Interoperability Fund monies may be used only for a school safety program that:
1) encompasses schools throughout Arizona; 2) enables the deployment of a
secure, multimedia data communications system for public safety agencies and
public schools;
3) provides a communications solution environment that allows for
identification, secure messaging, information sharing and alarm system
integration as outlined; 4) is capable of being deployed to end users on
existing communication assets; 5) allows each participating entity to maintain
real-time communication; 6) encrypts all media communications; 7) is certified
under the federal Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies
Act; 8) is compatible with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency
Interoperable Gateway System for disaster communications; 9) ensures student
and staff privacy; and 10) enables integration to school access control to
allow remote lockdown by law enforcement (
A.R.S.
� 41-1733
).
School building blueprints and floor plans are not public records and are
exempt from public record requirements (
A.R.S.
� 15-154
).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund
associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1.
Requires,
if a school district or charter school receives monies from the state or a
local LEA for interoperable communications, the school district or charter
school to select or develop technology, a system or a method to establish and
maintain interoperable communications capabilities that include:
a)
a mechanism that enables designated school personnel to notify local
LEAs in real time if an emergency occurs at the school;
b)
a mechanism that enables the school district or charter school to
securely transmit the current map of each school campus and floor plan of each
school building to local LEAs in a printable format; and
c)
a
mechanism that enables designated school personnel to communicate with local
LEAs and law enforcement officers in real time during an emergency at the
school.
2.
Requires,
by July 1, 2027, and July 1 of each year thereafter, each school district and
charter school that establishes and maintains interoperable communications
capabilities to submit to ADE an affidavit attesting that the school district
or charter school:
a)
is maintaining the interoperable communications capabilities as
prescribed;
b)
has transmitted the current maps and floor plans to local LEAs through
the required mechanism; and
c)
has
tested each required mechanism at least once during the preceding year to
ensure that the school district or charter school is able to communicate with
the local LEA in whose jurisdiction that school district or charter school is
located.
3.
Requires
ADE to:
a)
prescribe the form and manner of the annual affidavit;
b)
develop guidelines and best practices to assist school districts and
charter schools in meeting the interoperable communications capabilities
requirements;
c)
compile the affidavits submitted by school districts and charter
schools; and
d)
provide
an annual statewide interoperability readiness report to the Governor, the
Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives and provide a copy
of the report to the Secretary of State.
4.
Requires,
if a local LEA has monies available to establish and maintain interoperable
communications capabilities with school districts and charter schools located
within the LEA's jurisdiction, the LEA to notify each school district and
charter school and offer to provide monies to the school district or charter
school to establish and maintain interoperable communications capabilities as
prescribed.
5.
Requires,
if a local LEA does not have sufficient monies to establish and maintain
interoperable communications capabilities with each school district and charter
school located within the LEA's jurisdiction, the LEA to:
a)
select school districts and charter schools for which sufficient monies
are available to establish and maintain interoperable communications
capabilities;
b)
�notify
each selected school district and charter school that the school district or
charter school has been selected and offer to provide monies to the school
district or charter school to establish and maintain interoperable
communications capabilities; and
c)
if a
school district or charter school declines the local LEA's offer, select
another school district or charter school that is located within the local
LEA's jurisdiction and for which sufficient monies are available to establish
and maintain interoperable communications capabilities.
6.
Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by the
House of Representatives
1.
Applies the requirement to establish and maintain interoperable
communications capabilities only to school districts and charter schools that
receive monies from the state or a local LEA for interoperable communications.
2.
Removes the exemption from the requirement to establish and maintain
interoperable communications capabilities for school districts and charter
schools that use a communications system that is deployed using School Safety
Interoperability Fund monies and satisfies the prescribed requirements.
3.
Specifies that only school districts and charter schools that establish
and maintain interoperable communications capabilities as prescribed must
submit the outlined affidavit to ADE.
4.
Requires a local LEA to notify school districts and charter schools
located within the local LEA's jurisdiction as outlined of whether the local
LEA has monies available for the school district or charter school to establish
and maintain interoperable communications capabilities as prescribed.
5.
Makes technical and conforming changes.
Senate Action
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House
Action
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Read*���� 6/9/26������������������������ 31-24-5
*on
reconsideration
Prepared by
Senate Research
June 9, 2026
MH/hk
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
SB1315 - 572R - H Ver
House Engrossed
Senate Bill
public schools;
interoperable communications; requirements
State of Arizona
Senate
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
SENATE BILL 1315
AN
ACT
amending title 15, chapter 1, article 5,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-154.03; 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 15-154.03, to read:
START_STATUTE
15-154.03.
Schools; interoperable communications systems; affidavits; annual
readiness report; law enforcement agencies; funding
A.
If a school
district
or charter school in this state
receives monies from this state or a local law enforcement agency in
this state for interoperable communications, the school district or charter
school shall select or develop technology, a system or a method to establish
and maintain interoperable communications capabilities that include at least
the following:
1. A mechanism that enables
designated school personnel to notify local law enforcement agencies in real
time if an emergency occurs at the school.
2. A mechanism that enables the
school district or charter school to securely transmit the current map of each
school campus and floor plan of each school building to local law enforcement
agencies in a printable format.
3. A mechanism that enables
designated school personnel to communicate with local law enforcement agencies
and law enforcement officers in real time during an emergency at the school.
B. On or before July 1, 2027 and July 1 of each
year thereafter, each school district and charter school
that
estaBLISHES AND MAINTAINS INTEROPERABLE COMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITIES shall
submit to the department, in a form and manner prescribed by the department, an
affidavit attesting that the school district or charter school:
1. Is maintaining the interoperable
communications capabilities required by subsection A of this section.
2. Has transmitted the current maps
and floor plans to local law enforcement agencies through the mechanism
required by subsection A, paragraph 2 of this section.
3. Has tested each mechanism required
by subsection A of this section to ensure that the school district or charter
school is able to communicate with the local law enforcement agency in whose
jurisdiction the school district or charter school is located at least once
during the preceding year.
C. The department shall develop
guidelines and best practices to assist school districts and charter schools in
meeting the requirements prescribed by this section.
D. The department shall compile the
affidavits submitted pursuant to subsection
B of this
section and shall provide an annual statewide interoperability readiness report
to the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of
representatives and shall provide a copy of the report to the secretary of
state.
E. If a local law enforcement agency
in this state has monies available to establish and maintain interoperable
communications capabilities with school districts and charter schools that are
located within the agency's jurisdiction, the agency shall Notify each school
district and charter school that is located within the agency's jurisdiction
and offer to provide monies to the school district or charter school for the
purposes of subsection A of this section.
F. If a local law enforcement agency
in this state does not have sufficient monies available to establish and
maintain interoperable communications capabilities with each school district
and charter school that is located within the agency's jurisdiction, the agency
shall do all of the following:
1. Select school districts and
charter schools for which sufficient monies are available to establish and
maintain interoperable communications capabilities.
2. Notify each school district and
charter school that is selected pursuant to paragraph 1 or 3 of this subsection
that the school district or charter school has been selected and offer to
provide monies to the school district or charter school for the purposes of
subsection A of this section.
3. If a school district or charter
school declines an offer that is made pursuant to paragraph 2 of this
subsection, select another school district or charter school that is located
within the agency's jurisdiction and for which sufficient monies are available
to establish and maintain interoperable communications capabilities.
END_STATUTE