The state school security marshal is responsible for enhancing school safety by monitoring school safety and security initiatives, developing reasonable training and other guidelines, developing a school security risk assessment tool and ensuring compliance with the provisions of the School Safety and Resiliency Act (Senate Bill 1).

The office is responsible for on-site reviews of schools across the commonwealth to ensure compliance with the law using a risk assessment tool, in collaboration with the Center for School Safety and the Kentucky Department of Education. This tool will be used by local school districts to identify threats, vulnerabilities, and appropriate safety controls for each school within the district. The tool shall be approved by the board of directors of the Center for School Safety and used by local school administrators when completing a school security risk assessment.

SUMMARY OF THE SCHOOL SAFETY AND RESILIENCY ACT

This law changes the definition of a school resource officer (SRO). It also increases reporting for schools, establishes a school safety coordinator training program and requires every district to have a school safety coordinator. It establishes the position of school security marshal under DOCJT, who will oversee school security-risk assessments, and mandates specialized training for SROs. It requires hiring SROs (as funds allow) and increases building security for schools, including active-shooter training for staff and suggests law enforcement training for student-involved trauma. It further requires the Kentucky Department of Homeland Security to develop a reporting tool for the anonymous reporting of threats.

COMPLIANCE

Compliance officers will be assigned to districts throughout the state to conduct school on-site reviews, using a 66-point assessment tool. Each officer will do an initial, scheduled assessment with each school to establish a baseline. The second assessment will be unannounced. After approximately 18 months, final assessments will be combined into a state report and shared throughout the commonwealth with the purpose of identifying and sharing great ideas implemented across the state.