79-2,144. State school security director; duties.

The state school security director appointed pursuant to section 79-2,143 shall be responsible for providing leadership and support for safety and security for the public schools. Duties of the director include, but are not limited to:

(1) Collecting safety and security plans, required pursuant to rules and regulations of the State Department of Education relating to accreditation of schools, and other school security information from each school system in Nebraska. School districts shall provide the state school security director with the safety and security plans of the school district and any other security information requested by the director, but any plans or information submitted by a school district may be withheld by the department pursuant to subdivision (9) of section 84-712.05;

(2) Recommending minimum standards for school security on or before January 1, 2016, to the State Board of Education;

(3) Conducting an assessment of the security of each public school building, which assessment shall be completed by August 31, 2019;

(4) Identifying deficiencies in school security based on the minimum standards adopted by the State Board of Education and making recommendations to school boards for remedying such deficiencies;

(5) Establishing security awareness and preparedness tools and training programs for public school staff;

(6) Establishing research-based model instructional programs for staff, students, and parents to address the underlying causes for violent attacks on schools;

(7) Overseeing behavioral and mental health training, with a focus on suicide awareness and prevention in public schools pursuant to section 79-2,146;

(8) Establishing tornado preparedness standards which shall include, but not be limited to, ensuring that every school conducts at least two tornado drills per year;

(9) Responding to inquiries and requests for assistance relating to school security from private, denominational, and parochial schools;

(10) Recommending curricular and extracurricular materials to assist school districts in preventing and responding to cyberbullying and digital citizenship issues; and

(11) Carrying out the department's responsibilities under the School Safety and Security Reporting System Act.

Source:Laws 2014, LB923, § 2; Laws 2015, LB525, § 5; Laws 2017, LB512, § 8; Laws 2021, LB322, § 8; Laws 2022, LB1246, § 4; Laws 2023, LB705, § 76.
Operative Date: September 2, 2023

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