This Amendment to HB 79 does the following: - Incorporates the amendments made in HA 1 into this Amendment for ease and efficiency.

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Amendment to HB 79 on School Safety Data and Dates

This amendment updates a bill about school safety by adding rules for sharing data on student restraints, clarifying temporary staff absences, and moving the start date of the law.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the Department of Education to request data from POST about when officers use physical restraint, mechanical restraint, or seclusion in schools.
• Orders POST to send that data to the Department of Education, including details on whether mechanical restraints were required and why.
• Directs the Department of Education to include this new information in its annual report under Title 14 § 4112F.
• Clarifies that schools may use law-enforcement officers who are not trained as School Resource Officers (SROs) to fill in for temporarily absent SROs.
• Changes the effective date of the law from August 1, 2025, to August 1, 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Department of Education
• The Police Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST)
• Public school districts and charter schools

Terms To Know

School Resource Officer (SRO)

A law-enforcement officer assigned to work in a public school.

Mechanical restraint

Using devices like handcuffs or straps to hold a student still.

Seclusion

Placing a student alone in a room where they cannot leave freely.

Limits and Unknowns

• The text does not specify the exact format or timeline for how often POST must send this data.
• The bill changes the start date but does not list specific penalties if schools do not follow these new rules.

Official Summary Text

This Amendment to HB 79 does the following:
- Incorporates the amendments made in HA 1 into this Amendment for ease and efficiency. HA 1 added language to ensure that the law conforms to the current practice regarding school resource officer temporary absences. It also changed the effective date from August 1, 2025, to August 1, 2026, to provide the Department of Education with additional time to prepare to implement HB 79.
- Adds a paragraph a. so paragraphs (c)(2)b. and (c)(2)c. can be added.
- Adds paragraph (c)(2)b. which requires the Department of Education to get data that the Police Officer Standards and Training Commision collects relating to use of restraint and seclusion.
- Adds paragraph (c)(2)c. which requires the Police Officer Standards and Training Commission to provide that data to the Department of Education. Paragraph (c)(2)c.2. requires the inclusion of additional information related to mechanical restraint.
- This Amendment requires the Department of Education to incorporate the data it receives from the Police Officer Standards and Training Commission into the annual report required under § 4112F of Title 14.

Current Bill Text

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Morrison

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE AMENDMENT NO. 2

TO

HOUSE BILL NO. 79

AMEND House Bill No. 79 on line 77 by inserting “

a.

” after “(2)” and before “To” therein.

FURTHER AMEND House Bill No. 79 after line 78 and before line 79 by inserting the following:

“

b. The Department of Education shall request from the Police Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST), any data related to law-enforcement officer use of physical restraint, mechanical restraint, or seclusion on a student in a public school collected by POST.

c.1. POST shall provide the requested data under paragraph (c)(2)b. of this section to the Department of Education.

2. For the mechanical restraint data, POST shall provide the Department of Education the total number of mechanical restraints that occurred disaggregated by whether the law-enforcement officer was required to use mechanical restraint in that situation, and if so, why that restraint was required.

”.

FURTHER AMEND House Bill No. 79 on line 81 after “results.” by inserting the following:

“

The Department of Education shall incorporate the data received from POST under paragraph (c)(2) of this section into the annual report.

”.

FURTHER AMEND House Bill No. 79 on line 117 after “herein.” by inserting the following:

“

This paragraph does not prohibit a school district or charter school from using a law-enforcement officer who is not trained as an SRO to fill in for an SRO who is temporarily absent.

”.

FURTHER AMEND House Bill No. 79 on line 119 by deleting “2025.” and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

“2026.”.

SYNOPSIS

This Amendment to HB 79 does the following:

- Incorporates the amendments made in HA 1 into this Amendment for ease and efficiency. HA 1 added language to ensure that the law conforms to the current practice regarding school resource officer temporary absences. It also changed the effective date from August 1, 2025, to August 1, 2026, to provide the Department of Education with additional time to prepare to implement HB 79.

- Adds a paragraph a. so paragraphs (c)(2)b. and (c)(2)c. can be added.

- Adds paragraph (c)(2)b. which requires the Department of Education to get data that the Police Officer Standards and Training Commision collects relating to use of restraint and seclusion.

- Adds paragraph (c)(2)c. which requires the Police Officer Standards and Training Commission to provide that data to the Department of Education. Paragraph (c)(2)c.2. requires the inclusion of additional information related to mechanical restraint.

- This Amendment requires the Department of Education to incorporate the data it receives from the Police Officer Standards and Training Commission into the annual report required under § 4112F of Title 14.