HB2076 - School safety; employee certification; policies

House Engrossed school safety; employee certification; policies State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session 2026 HOUSE BILL 2076 AN ACT amending title 15, chapter 2, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-249.20; amending sections 15-341 and 41-1822, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to school employees. (TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE) Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona: Section 1. 1. Title 15, chapter 2, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-249.20, to read: START_STATUTE 15-249.20. Save our children school safety program; employee certification; fund; eligibility to carry firearm; confidentiality; violation; classification; immunity; biennial report; definition A. The save our children school safety program is established within the department to strengthen school safety through employee training, medical preparedness and crisis-response capability. The department may adopt rules, policies and procedures to implement this section. B. The department, in consultation with the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, shall develop and maintain a list of training and certification programs, including annual recertification programs, that are approved by the arizona peace officer standards and training board pursuant to section 41-1822, subsection d. The department shall post the list on the department's website. C. The save our children school safety program fund is established and consists of legislative appropriations, gifts, grants and OTHER MONIES received for the save our children school safety program. The department shall administer the fund. Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated and are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to lapsing of appropriations. The department shall use monies in the fund to provide reimbursements on a first-come, first-served basis for the following: 1. An eligible school that has either: ( a ) Paid for one or more of the eligible school's employees to complete a training or certification program listed pursuant to subsection B of this section. ( b ) Purchased school safety equipment, medical kits or protective gear for use at one or more school sites. 2. An individual who meets all of the following: ( a ) Is employed by an eligible school. ( b ) Has paid for and successfully completed a training or certification program listed pursuant to subsection B of this section. ( c ) Is not reimbursed by the eligible school for the costs of the training or certification program. D. An eligible school may adopt written policies to authorize one or more employees to carry a concealed firearm on school grounds if the eligible school does all of the following: 1. Notifies local law enforcement agencies and the department of the number of employees who are authorized to carry a concealed firearm on school grounds pursuant to this subsection. 2. Ensures that each employee who is authorized to carry a concealed firearm on school grounds pursuant to this subsection has a valid certification pursuant to a program listed pursuant to subsection B of this section. 3. Complies with the confidentiality requirements prescribed in subsection E of this section. E. Notwithstanding any other law, the personally identifiable information of each school employee who participates in a training or certification program listed pursuant to subsection B of this section or who is authorized to carry a concealed firearm on school grounds pursuant to subsection D of this section is confidential and may not be disclosed to the public. For the purposes of this subsection, personally identifiable information includes the employee's name, training schedule and deployment. A person who violates this subsection is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor. F. Notwithstanding any other law, a public school employee who has a valid certification from a program listed pursuant to subsection B of this section and who acts in good faith and consistently with the certification program is not subject to civil or criminal liability for the school employee's actions in defense of students, school employees or school visitors. G. any Policies adopted by a school pursuant to subsection D of this section constitute a program approved by the school for the pURPOSES of section 13-3102, subsection I, paragraph 2. H. On or before December 31 of each odd-numbered year, the department shall submit a report on the save our children school safety program to the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate and the governor's office, shall submit a copy to the secretary of state and shall post a copy on the department's website. The report required by this subsection must include all of the following: 1. The total number of school employees who have a valid certification from a program listed pursuant to subsection B of this section. 2. The total number of school employees who are authorized to carry a concealed firearm on school grounds pursuant to subsection D of this section. 3. The amount of monies available in the fund established by subsection C of this section. 4. Information regarding any incident or program feedback. 5. Recommendations, if any, to improve the program established by this section. I. For the purposes of this section, "eligible school" means any school in this state that offers instruction to students in a kindergarten program or any of grades one through twelve. END_STATUTE Sec. 2. 2. Section 15-341, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read: START_STATUTE 15-341. General powers and duties; immunity; delegation A. Each school district governing board shall: 1. Prescribe and enforce policies and procedures to govern the schools that are not inconsistent with the laws or rules prescribed by the state board of education. 2. Exclude from schools all books, publications, papers or audiovisual materials of a sectarian, partisan or denominational character. This paragraph does not prohibit the elective course allowed by section 15-717.01. 3. Manage and control the school property within its district, except that a district may enter into a partnership with an entity, including a charter school, another school district or a military base, to operate a school or offer educational services in a district building, including at a vacant or partially used building, or in any building on the entity's property pursuant to a written agreement between the parties. 4. Acquire school furniture, apparatus, equipment, library books and supplies for the schools to use. 5. Prescribe the curricula and criteria for the promotion and graduation of pupils as provided in sections 15-701 and 15-701.01. 6. Furnish, repair and insure, at full insurable value, the school property of the district. 7. Construct school buildings on approval by a vote of the district electors. 8. In the name of the district, convey property belonging to the district and sold by the board. 9. Purchase school sites when authorized by a vote of the district at an election conducted as nearly as practicable in the same manner as the election provided in section 15-481 and held on a date prescribed in section 15-491, subsection E, but such authorization shall not necessarily specify the site to be purchased and such authorization shall not be necessary to exchange unimproved property as provided in section 15-342, paragraph 23. 10. Construct, improve and furnish buildings used for school purposes when such buildings or premises are leased from the national park service. 11. Purchase school sites or construct, improve and furnish school buildings from the proceeds of the sale of school property only on approval by a vote of the district electors. 12. Hold pupils to strict account for disorderly conduct on school property. 13. Discipline students for disorderly conduct on the way to and from school. 14. Except as provided in section 15-1224, deposit all monies received by the district as gifts, grants and devises with the county treasurer who shall credit the deposits as designated in the uniform system of financial records. If not inconsistent with the terms of the gifts, grants and devises given, any balance remaining after expenditures for the intended purpose of the monies have been made shall be used to reduce school district taxes for the budget year, except that in the case of accommodation schools the county treasurer shall carry the balance forward for use by the county school superintendent for accommodation schools for the budget year. 15. Provide that, if a parent or legal guardian chooses not to accept a decision of the teacher as provided in paragraph 42 of this subsection, the parent or legal guardian may request in writing that the governing board review the teacher's decision. This paragraph does not release school districts from any liability relating to a child's promotion or retention. 16. Provide for adequate supervision over pupils in instructional and noninstructional activities by certificated or noncertificated personnel. 17. Use school monies received from the state and county school apportionment exclusively to pay salaries of teachers and other employees and contingent expenses of the district. 18. Annually report to the county school superintendent on or before October 1 in the manner and form and on the blanks prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction or county school superintendent. The board shall also report directly to the county school superintendent or the superintendent of public instruction whenever required. 19. Deposit all monies received by school districts other than student activities monies or monies from auxiliary operations as provided in sections 15-1125 and 15-1126 with the county treasurer to the credit of the school district except as provided in paragraph 20 of this subsection and sections 15-1223 and 15-1224, and the board shall spend the monies as provided by law for other school funds. 20. Establish bank accounts in which the board during a month may deposit miscellaneous monies received directly by the district. The board shall remit monies deposited in the bank accounts at least monthly to the county treasurer for deposit as provided in paragraph 19 of this subsection and in accordance with the uniform system of financial records. 21. Prescribe and enforce policies and procedures for disciplinary action against a teacher who engages in conduct that is a violation of the policies of the governing board but that is not cause for dismissal of the teacher or for revocation of the certificate of the teacher. Disciplinary action may include suspension without pay for a period of time not to exceed ten school days. Disciplinary action shall not include suspension with pay or suspension without pay for a period of time longer than ten school days. The procedures shall include notice, hearing and appeal provisions for violations that are cause for disciplinary action. The governing board may designate a person or persons to act on behalf of the board on these matters. 22. Prescribe and enforce policies and procedures for disciplinary action against an administrator who engages in conduct that is a violation of the policies of the governing board regarding duties of administrators but that is not cause for dismissal of the administrator or for revocation of the certificate of the administrator. Disciplinary action may include suspension without pay for a period of time not to exceed ten school days. Disciplinary action shall not include suspension with pay or suspension without pay for a period of time longer than ten school days. The procedures shall include notice, hearing and appeal provisions for violations that are cause for disciplinary action. The governing board may designate a person or persons to act on behalf of the board on these matters. For violations that are cause for dismissal, the provisions of notice, hearing and appeal in chapter 5, article 3 of this title apply. The filing of a timely request for a hearing suspends the imposition of a suspension without pay or a dismissal pending completion of the hearing. 23. Notwithstanding sections 13-3108 and 13-3120, 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 school administrator may authorize an employee to carry a concealed firearm on school grounds only as provided by section 15-249.20, subsection D. 24. Prescribe and enforce policies and procedures relating to the health and safety of all pupils participating in district-sponsored practice sessions or games or other interscholastic athletic activities, including: (a) The provision of water. (b) Guidelines, information and forms, developed in consultation with a statewide private entity that supervises interscholastic activities, to inform and educate coaches, pupils and parents of the dangers of concussions and head injuries and the risks of continued participation in athletic activity after a concussion. The policies and procedures shall require that, before a pupil participates in an athletic activity, the pupil and the pupil's parent sign an information form at least once each school year that states that the parent is aware of the nature and risk of concussion. The policies and procedures shall require that a pupil who is suspected of sustaining a concussion in a practice session, game or other interscholastic athletic activity be immediately removed from the athletic activity and that the pupil's parent or guardian be notified. A coach from the pupil's team or an official or a licensed health care provider may remove a pupil from play. A team parent may also remove the parent's own child from play. A pupil may return to play on the same day if a health care provider rules out a suspected concussion at the time the pupil is removed from play. On a subsequent day, the pupil may return to play if the pupil has been evaluated by and received written clearance to resume participation in athletic activity from a health care provider who has been trained in evaluating and managing concussions and head injuries. A health care provider who is a volunteer and who provides clearance to participate in athletic activity on the day of the suspected injury or on a subsequent day is immune from civil liability with respect to all decisions made and actions taken that are based on good faith implementation of the requirements of this subdivision, except in cases of gross negligence or wanton or wilful neglect. A school district, school district employee, team coach, official or team volunteer or a parent or guardian of a team member is not subject to civil liability for any act, omission or policy undertaken in good faith to comply with the requiremen [Text truncated for display. Full text available on LegiScan.]