Colorado Working Group On School Safety

The act creates the Colorado interagency working group on school safety. The working group consists of 14 voting members. The mission of the working group is to enhance school safety through the cost-effective use of public resources. The working group shall:

• Study and implement recommendations of the state auditor's report regarding school safety released in September 2019;
• Consider program organization and recommend reorganization if necessary;
• Identify shared metrics to examine program effectiveness;
• Facilitate interagency coordination and communication;
• Increase transparency and accessibility of state grants and resources, particularly for school districts without a grant writer, which includes improving outreach and may include developing common grant applications;
• Facilitate and address data sharing, including allowable data sharing at the local level, when appropriate and allowable under state and federal law; and
• Address school safety program challenges in a coordinated way.

The working group may contract with a consultant to optimize the alignment and effectiveness of the school safety efforts in Colorado and identify evidence-based best practices. The general assembly may appropriate money to the working group for a consultant, and the working group can accept gifts, grants, and donations. The working group only meets if the department of public safety identifies sufficient funding to cover the costs associated with the working group.

The act repeals the working group on September 1, 2022, but the department of regulatory agencies shall review the working group prior to its repeal.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)