HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1970        FILED ON: 1/15/2025

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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Rob Consalvo

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act establishing the Massachusetts School Safety Data Grant Program.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1970        FILED ON: 1/15/2025

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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act establishing the Massachusetts School Safety Data Grant Program.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 147 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after Section 63 the following section:

Section 64: Massachusetts School Safety Data Grant Program

(a)Definitions

As used in this section, the following words shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

1.“Office”, The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security

2.“Program”, the Massachusetts School Safety Data Grant Program

3.“Public safety agencies", any municipal, county, regional, or state agency  responsible for providing emergency services, including law enforcement, fire departments, emergency medical services.

4."School", any public or private primary or secondary educational institution, including charter schools, vocational schools, and special education schools approved under Ch. 71B.

5."School mapping data", detailed and verified geographical and structural data of school buildings and grounds, including but not limited to floor plans, aerial imagery, and site-specific labels identifying rooms, hallways, stairwells, and emergency resources.

6."Software platforms", the digital tools and systems used by public safety agencies to access, share, and utilize mapping data and related emergency information.

7."Verified", data that has been physically inspected and confirmed for accuracy through an on-site review of the school buildings and grounds by the entity responsible for producing the school mapping data.

(b) Establishment of Program

To facilitate efficient and effective emergency response by law enforcement and public safety agencies across the Commonwealth, the Massachusetts School Safety Data Grant Program is hereby established within the Office. The Office shall, subject to appropriation, administer a program to provide grants to municipal, county, regional, or state law enforcement agencies  for the purpose of developing standardized school mapping data to establish a single, verified source of school mapping data for each school in the Commonwealth, ensuring that such data is accurate, standardized, and accessible to public safety agencies statewide to facilitate efficient emergency response on school campuses. A municipal, county, regional, or state law enforcement agency may apply for a grant to provide school mapping data for one or more schools, provided the agency has jurisdiction over the respective school or schools.

(c) Requirements for School Safety Mapping Data

The school mapping data shall adhere to the following criteria:

1.The data shall:

1.conform to and integrate with software platforms used by municipal, state, and federal public safety agencies responsible for emergency services at the school without requiring the purchase of additional software or payment of fees to access the data. Future updates or modifications to the school mapping data must conform to and integrate with all software platforms used by the relevant public safety agencies;

2.conform to and integrate with safety and emergency software platforms used by the school without requiring the purchase of additional software or payment of fees to access the data;

3.be provided in a printable format;

4.be oriented true north, include a grid with "x" and "y" coordinates for reference, and include z-axis elevation data for each floor;

5.have its accuracy verified by the entity producing the data through an on-site walk-through of the school buildings and grounds;

6.include accurate floor plans overlaid on current, verified aerial imagery of the school campus;

7.include site-specific labeling  for school structures such as room names, hallway designations, exterior doors, stairwell numbers, and the locations of hazards, critical utility controls, key boxes, automated external defibrillators, and trauma kits and school grounds, including parking areas, athletic fields, surrounding roads, and neighboring properties; and

8.provided to the school district and appropriate public safety agencies at no cost beyond the initial cost of production and shall be made available to such entities permanently.

(d) Regulations

The Office shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this section and ensure compliance with the requirements of the Program.