S 2530 — School Safety Clearinghouse Act

Summary

School Safety Clearinghouse Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a School Safety Clearinghouse as a central resource for evidence-based practices and other information on school-safety topics. DHS shall develop tiers for determining evidence-based practices that demonstrate a significant effect on improving the health, safety, and welfare of persons in school settings.

Bill Text

• Introduced Introduced in Senate Current html September 23, 2019

From the bill's own amending language, matched to the official United States Code (current through Public Law 119-121).

• ▸ 6 U.S.C. § 651 Definition Amends the part

  Changes the part of the Code that begins at this section.

  The law today

  In this part, the term “Cybersecurity Advisory Committee” means the advisory committee established under section 665e(a) of this title.

  63 other bills also change this section · Follow it → Official text at uscode.house.gov ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill establishes a School Safety Clearinghouse within the Department of Homeland Security, amending existing law to incorporate this new function.

• 6 U.S.C. 651

  SEC. 2215. SCHOOL SAFETY CLEARINGHOUSE. (a) Establishment.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a School Safety Clearinghouse (in this section referred to as the 'Clearinghouse') within the Department. (2) Requirements.--The Clearinghouse shall-- (A) be managed by the Secretary, in coordination with-- (i) the Secretary of Education; (ii) the Attorney General; and (iii) the Secretary of Health and Human Services; (B) engage appropriate Federal, State, local, and nongovernmental organizations to identify, cross-promote, and disseminate information; and (C) be assigned such personnel and resources as the Secretary considers appropriate to carry out this section, including not fewer than 5 full-time equivalent employees. (3) Evidence-based tiers.-- (A) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall develop tiers for determining evidence-based practices that demonstrate a significant effect on improving the health, safety, and welfare of persons in school settings. (B) Requirements.--The tiers required to be developed under subparagraph (A) shall-- (i) prioritize-- (I) strong evidence from not less than 1 well-designed and well-implemented experimental study; and (II) moderate evidence from not less than 1 well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study; and (ii) consider promising evidence that demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive evaluations that such activity, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve school climate and promote school safety. (b) Functions.--The Clearinghouse shall-- (1) serve as a central resource to identify, catalog, and describe best practices, case studies, and relevant Federal grants related to safe school design and evidence-based practices, for use by local education agencies, local law enforcement agencies, schools, architects, engineers, and others, and any other school safety topics related to school design as determined appropriate by the Secretary; (2) review and, as appropriate, incorporate finalized school safety recommendations from other related agencies, State and local partners, and appropriate nongovernmental organizations, such as national associations of architects and engineers; (3) determine a means to solicit input from institutions of higher education and design schools, national associations of architects, engineers, school safety experts, building supervisors, school facilities managers, community-based organizations, and other school safety stakeholders for the purpose of regularly updating the resources and evidence-based recommendations of the Clearinghouse; (4) make training and technical assistance available to local education agencies seeking Federal grants to improve school safety, including providing a website with up-to-date information on resources, and may partner with nongovernmental organizations, such as national associations of architects and engineers and security experts, to provide the training and technical assistance; (5) perform such other functions necessary to carry out the functions described in paragraphs (1) through (4) as the Secretary determines appropriate. (c) Exemption.--Chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code (commonly known as the 'Paperwork Reduction Act'), shall not apply to any rulemaking or information collection required under this section. (d) Prohibition.-- (1) In general.--In carrying out this section, an officer or employee of the Department may not approve, sponsor, endorse, or take any other action that may be deemed or construed to be an approval, sponsorship, or endorsement of any product of a specific organization (including a nonprofit organization), such as a building material or technology, that provides a financial gain or other benefit to the organization. (2) Rule of construction.--Paragraph (1) shall not be construed to prevent an officer or employee of the Department from implementing-- (A) recommendations, training, and other assistance developed under subsection (b), including by broadly identifying building materials and technologies that could uphold health, safety, and welfare on school property; or (B) the Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 441 et seq.).

  This creates a new clearinghouse dedicated to school safety under the Department of Homeland Security.

Action History

1. September 23, 2019

   Introduced in Senate

2. September 23, 2019

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Sponsors

• David Perdue · Primary

Subjects