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To amend section 3318.031 and to enact section | 1 |
3301.80 of the Revised Code to require the State | 2 |
Board of Education to adopt rules prescribing | 3 |
standards for safety enhancements to new public | 4 |
and nonpublic school facilities and to require the | 5 |
Ohio School Facilities Commission to revise its | 6 |
construction and design standards to comply with | 7 |
the State Board's standards. | 8 |
Section 1. That section 3318.031 be amended and section | 9 |
3301.80 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows: | 10 |
Sec. 3301.80. (A) Not later than ninety days after the | 11 |
effective date of this section, in accordance with Chapter 119. of | 12 |
the Revised Code, the state board of education shall adopt rules | 13 |
prescribing safety standards for use in the construction of new | 14 |
school facilities for public schools and chartered and | 15 |
nonchartered nonpublic schools. Those standards shall include | 16 |
design provisions to enhance the overall safety and well-being of | 17 |
students and staff including, but not limited to, the following: | 18 |
(1) Surveillance video; | 19 |
(2) Entry way metal detectors; | 20 |
(3) Direct entrance and exit routes located within a | 21 |
classroom, which may only be accessed from inside that classroom; | 22 |
(4) An effective means of communication between classrooms | 23 |
and the administrative offices; | 24 |
(5) A real-time notification device located within a | 25 |
classroom, such as a panic button, to alert local area law | 26 |
enforcement when a staff member encounters a dangerous situation; | 27 |
(6) A means of threat containment, which may include a | 28 |
barrier system to lock down the portion of a building wherein a | 29 |
threat has been identified. | 30 |
(B) The standards shall require new schools to include at | 31 |
least two of the safety enhancements described in division (A) of | 32 |
this section. The standards also shall expressly permit a new | 33 |
school to include more than two such enhancements. | 34 |
Sec. 3318.031. (A) The Ohio school facilities commission | 35 |
shall consider student and staff safety and health when reviewing | 36 |
design plans for classroom facility construction projects proposed | 37 |
under this chapter. After consulting with appropriate education, | 38 |
health, and law enforcement personnel, the commission may require | 39 |
as a condition of project approval under either section 3318.03 or | 40 |
division (B)(1) of section 3318.41 of the Revised Code such | 41 |
changes in the design plans as the commission believes will | 42 |
advance or improve student and staff safety and health in the | 43 |
proposed classroom facility. | 44 |
To carry out its duties under this division, the commission | 45 |
shall review and, if necessary, amend any construction and design | 46 |
standards used in its project approval process, including | 47 |
standards for location and number of exits, standards for lead | 48 |
safety in classroom facilities constructed before 1978 in which | 49 |
services are provided to children under six years of age, and | 50 |
location of restrooms, with a focus on advancing student and staff | 51 |
safety and health. | 52 |
(B) When reviewing design standards for classroom facility | 53 |
construction projects proposed under this chapter, the commission | 54 |
shall also consider the extent to which the design standards | 55 |
support the following: | 56 |
(1) Support and facilitation of smaller classes and the trend | 57 |
toward smaller schools; | 58 |
(2) Provision of sufficient space for training new teachers | 59 |
and promotion of collaboration among teaching candidates, | 60 |
experienced teachers, and teacher educators; | 61 |
(3) Provision of adequate space for teacher planning and | 62 |
collaboration; | 63 |
(4) Provision of adequate space for parent involvement | 64 |
activities; | 65 |
(5) Provision of sufficient space for innovative partnerships | 66 |
between schools and health and social service agencies. | 67 |
(C) Not later than one hundred eighty days after the | 68 |
effective date of this amendment, the commission shall amend the | 69 |
construction and design standards used in the approval process of | 70 |
any new classroom facilities to comply with the standards adopted | 71 |
by the state board of education pursuant to section 3301.80 of the | 72 |
Revised Code. | 73 |
Section 2. That existing section 3318.031 of the Revised Code | 74 |
is hereby repealed. | 75 |