15-154

15-154. Public school safety program proposal;
requirements; purpose; definitions

A. A public school district may apply to participate in the school safety program
as provided in this section for up to three fiscal years by submitting by April 15 a
program proposal to the school safety program oversight committee. The program proposal
shall contain:

1. A detailed description of the school safety needs of the public school or school
district.

2. A plan for implementing a law related education program or a plan that
demonstrates the existence of a law related education program as a school safety
prevention strategy.

3. A plan to use trained school resource officers or juvenile probation officers in
the schools, or both.

B. The state board of education shall administer the program in cooperation with
the courts, law enforcement agencies and law related education providers.
Representatives from the state board of education shall use relevant crime statistics and
shall visit schools located in school districts that submit program proposals in order to
verify the information contained in the program proposals.

C. The department of education, at the direction of the state board of education,
shall distribute monies to the school districts that are in compliance with program
requirements and whose plans have been approved by the school safety program oversight
committee.

D. Any appropriations that are made to the department of education for the school
safety program are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to the lapsing
of appropriations. All monies that are not used for an approved school safety plan during
the fiscal year for which the monies were appropriated revert to the department of
education for distribution to the program in the following fiscal year.

E. Monies received by a school district under the program shall be spent to
implement the approved plans.

F. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Law related education" means interactive education to equip children and youth
with knowledge and skills pertaining to the law, school safety and effective citizenship.

2. "Law related education program" means a program designed to provide children and
youth with knowledge, skills and activities pertaining to the law and legal process and
to promote law-abiding behavior with the purpose of preventing children and youth from
engaging in delinquency or violence and enabling them to become productive citizens.