A Bill for an Act
Page 1, Line 101Concerning the use of trauma-informed practices to address
Page 1, Line 102schoolsafety, and, in connection therewith, making an
Page 1, Line 103appropriation.
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://leg.colorado.gov.)
On or before September 1, 2025, the bill requires the office of school safety (office) to convene and oversee a work group to develop best practices for the use of trauma-informed practices to conduct school safety drills.
No later than June 30, 2026, the bill requires the work group to develop recommendations to support schools in training school personnel on the use of trauma-informed practices in conducting school safety drills, how to best conduct school safety drills in a trauma-informed manner, and how to best respond to a school safety incident. The recommendations must be submitted to the office and the house and senate education committees, or their successor committees; the governor; the state board; the commissioner of education; and the department of education.
This Unofficial Version Includes Committee
Amendments Not Yet Adopted on Second Reading
Page 2, Line 1Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
Page 2, Line 2SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly finds and declares that:
Page 2, Line 3(a) Colorado is facing a growing mental health crisis among its
Page 2, Line 4youth, with increasing rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental
Page 2, Line 5health issues that significantly impact students' ability to learn and thrive in school environments;
Page 2, Line 6(b) The rise in school shootings and climate-related disasters have
Page 2, Line 7increasingly disrupted the lives of Colorado youth, which contributes to
Page 2, Line 8the mental health challenges and trauma students face, and the long term
Page 2, Line 9effects of these events can impair a youth's emotional well-being, ability to focus, and academic success;
Page 2, Line 10(c) The safety and well-being of students and school personnel in Colorado is a paramount concern;
Page 2, Line 11(d) School safety drills are an essential part of school safety
Page 2, Line 12protocols to prepare students and school personnel for emergency situations;
Page 2, Line 13(e) Traditional school safety drills can be distressing and
Page 2, Line 14traumatizing for students and educators, thereby necessitating a more considerate approach;
Page 2, Line 15(f) Trauma-informed practices have been shown to reduce the
Page 2, Line 16psychological impact of school safety drills on participants, fostering a safer and more supportive school environment;
Page 3, Line 1(g) Recognizing the unique vulnerabilities of students, it is
Page 3, Line 2essential to include their perspectives and representation in efforts to create a safe and supportive school environment; and
Page 3, Line 3(h) Implementing trauma-informed school safety drills helps
Page 3, Line 4maintain the mental health and emotional stability of students and school personnel during and after the school safety drills.
Page 3, Line 5SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 24-33.5-2705 as follows:
Page 3, Line 624-33.5-2705. Trauma-informed practices for school safety
Page 3, Line 7drills - work group - creation - purpose - membership - fund -notice
Page 3, Line 8to revisor of statutes - definitions - repeal. (1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
Page 3, Line 9(a) "Parent" means a parent, legal guardian, or any other person having legal custody of a student.
Page 3, Line 10(b) "School safety drill" means an operations-based
Page 3, Line 11exercise that is designed to prepare students and school
Page 3, Line 12personnel to respond to specific emergencies in an effort to
Page 3, Line 13reinforce safety protocols, nurture readiness, and reduce panic during a school safety incident.
Page 3, Line 14(c) "School safety incident" means an event that occurs
Page 3, Line 15on school grounds that puts property or the health, safety, or
Page 3, Line 16well-being of students, school staff, or visitors in danger and requires an immediate response.
Page 3, Line 17(d) "Trauma-informed practices" means a systematic
Page 3, Line 18approach that recognizes the prevalence of adverse and
Page 3, Line 19traumatic experiences of school safety drills and equips school
Page 4, Line 1personnel with knowledge to recognize trauma and strategies
Page 4, Line 2to support students and school personnel who experience trauma.
Page 4, Line 3(2) On or before September 1, 2025, the office shall
Page 4, Line 4convene and oversee a work group as described in this section.
Page 4, Line 5The purpose of the work group is to develop best practices for
Page 4, Line 6the use of trauma-informed practices to conduct school safety drills.
Page 4, Line 7(3) The work group must be funded entirely by gifts,
Page 4, Line 8grants, and donations, including in-kind donations as part of a
Page 4, Line 9public-private partnership agreement, and no additional
Page 4, Line 10general fund money shall be appropriated for the implementation of the work group.
Page 4, Line 11(4) The work group shall obtain input from parents and
Page 4, Line 12students who reflect the diversity of the state with regard to
Page 4, Line 13race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geography, and disability.
Page 4, Line 15 (5) (a) (I) The work group consists of the following nonvoting members:
Page 4, Line 16(A) A representative from the department of public safety, appointed by the governor;
Page 4, Line 17(B) A representative from the office, appointed by the governor;
Page 4, Line 18(C) A representative from the office of gun violence
Page 4, Line 19prevention created in section 25-20.5-1202, appointed by the
Page 4, Line 20executive director of the department of public health and environment;
Page 5, Line 1(D) The commissioner of the department of education, or the commissioner's designee; and
Page 5, Line 2(E) A student who attends a Colorado public school, appointed by the governor;
Page 5, Line 3(II) The work group consists of the following voting members:
Page 5, Line 4(A) A school district superintendent who represents
Page 5, Line 5either a rural or suburban school district, appointed by the president of the senate;
Page 5, Line 6(B) Two school principals, or their respective designees,
Page 5, Line 7one of whom must represent either a district charter school, as
Page 5, Line 8defined in section 22-30.5-112.1, or an institute charter school,
Page 5, Line 9as defined in section 22-30.5-502, each appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives;
Page 5, Line 10(C) Two teachers, one of whom must represent an urban
Page 5, Line 11school district, appointed by the president of the senate, and one
Page 5, Line 12of whom must represent an urban school district, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
Page 5, Line 13(D) A school nurse or pediatrician, appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives;
Page 5, Line 14(E) Two mental health professionals, one of whom must
Page 5, Line 15specialize in child development or trauma-informed care,
Page 5, Line 16appointed by the minority leader of the senate, and one of whom
Page 5, Line 17must specialize in behavioral health, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
Page 5, Line 18(F) A school resource officer or local law enforcement
Page 6, Line 1representative with experience in rural or urban school settings, appointed by the minority leader of the senate;
Page 6, Line 2(G) A professional expert in public health or school safety, appointed by the president of the senate;
Page 6, Line 3(H) A representative from the fire and life safety section
Page 6, Line 4of the division of fire prevention and control, appointed by the president of the senate;
Page 6, Line 5(I) A parent of a student currently attending a Colorado
Page 6, Line 6public school, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and
Page 6, Line 7(J) An at-large member, appointed by the governor.
Page 6, Line 8(b) The appointing authorities shall appoint the members
Page 6, Line 9of the work group as soon as possible after the effective date of
Page 6, Line 10this subsection (5) but no later than twenty-eight days after the effective date of this subsection (5).
Page 6, Line 11(c) Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the work
Page 6, Line 12group must be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
Page 6, Line 13(d) A majority of the members appointed to the work group
Page 6, Line 14constitutes a quorum. If the work group is unable to reach a
Page 6, Line 15quorum due to unforeseen circumstances, the work group may
Page 6, Line 16proceed with a reduced quorum of no fewer than six voting members.
Page 6, Line 17(e) The chairperson of the work group shall convene the
Page 6, Line 18first meeting of the work group no later than fifty-six days
Page 6, Line 19after the effective date of this section. The work group shall
Page 6, Line 20meet at least four times during the first six months of its
Page 7, Line 1operation and at least three times during the second six months
Page 7, Line 2of its operation. The work group shall establish procedures to
Page 7, Line 3allow members of the work group to participate in the meetings remotely.
Page 7, Line 4(f) The members of the work group serve without
Page 7, Line 5compensation but may be reimbursed for expenses directly relating to their service on the work group.
Page 7, Line 6(g) Upon the request of the chairperson of the work
Page 7, Line 7group, the office shall provide staff assistance, meeting space,
Page 7, Line 8or audio-visual communication technology resources to the work group as necessary for the performance of its duties.
Page 7, Line 9(6) The work group shall:
Page 7, Line 10(a) Identify the intended outcomes of the trauma-informed practices;
Page 7, Line 11(b) Identify best practices for incorporating
Page 7, Line 12trauma-informed practices into school safety drills to respond to different types of school safety incidents;
Page 7, Line 13(c) Use the best practices identified in subsection(6)(b)of
Page 7, Line 14this section to determine how to best implement trauma-informed practices for schools to:
Page 7, Line 15(I) Plan and execute different types of school safety drills;
Page 7, Line 16(II) Immediately respond to a school safety incident; and
Page 7, Line 17(III) Best respond to students who have an emotional reaction as a result of school safety drills;
Page 7, Line 18(d) Determine the skills and knowledge necessary to
Page 7, Line 19train school personnel to adequately implement and use
Page 8, Line 1trauma-informed practices when conducting school safety drills;
Page 8, Line 2(e) Determine the necessary frequency of school
Page 8, Line 3personnel training to ensure the adequate use of trauma-informed practices during school safety drills;
Page 8, Line 4(f) Determine the necessary frequency of school safety
Page 8, Line 5drills to adequately prepare students and school personnel for school safety incidents;
Page 8, Line 6(g) Determine the amount of advance notice given to parents before conducting a school safety drill;
Page 8, Line 7(h) Provide guidance for parents on talking to students about school safety drills;
Page 8, Line 8(i) Identify state and local resources needed to support
Page 8, Line 9schools in implementing trauma-informed practices for conducting school safety drills; and
Page 8, Line 10(j) Identify possible funding sources to support schools in
Page 8, Line 11incorporating trauma-informed practices into school safety drills to respond to different types of school safety incidents.
Page 8, Line 12(7) The work group shall create a report containing
Page 8, Line 13findings and recommendations created pursuant to subsection
Page 8, Line 14(6)of this section. The report must account for the different needs of elementary and secondary schools.
Page 8, Line 15(8) No later than one year and one month after the
Page 8, Line 16effective date of this subsection (8), the work group must submit
Page 8, Line 17a report containing the findings and recommendations
Page 8, Line 18developed pursuant to subsection (7) of this section to the office
Page 8, Line 19and to the education committees of the house of representatives
Page 9, Line 1and the senate, or any successor committees; the governor; the
Page 9, Line 2state board; the commissioner of education; and the department
Page 9, Line 3of education.The department of education shall submit the
Page 9, Line 4report to the general assembly as part of its "SMART" Act presentation required by section 2-7-203.
Page 9, Line 5(9) (a) The office may seek, accept, and expend gifts,
Page 9, Line 6grants, or donations from private or public sources for the
Page 9, Line 7purposes of this section. The office shall transmit all money
Page 9, Line 8received through gifts, grants, or donations to the state treasurer.
Page 9, Line 9(b) The office may enter into a public-private partnership
Page 9, Line 10agreement to carry out the requirements of this section. For
Page 9, Line 11purposes of this section, if the office enters into a public-private
Page 9, Line 12partnership agreement, the public-private partnership
Page 9, Line 13agreement is considered an in-kind donation that counts as a
Page 9, Line 14gift, grant, or donation in the monetary amount that correlates with the value of the contract.
Page 9, Line 15(10) (a) If by June 30, 2027, subsections (2), (4), (5), (6), (7),
Page 9, Line 16(8), and (9) of this section have not taken effect, the state
Page 9, Line 17treasurer shall transfer all money received for purposes of
Page 9, Line 18implementing this section to the state education fund created in section 17 (4) of article IX of the state constitution.
Page 9, Line 19(b) If subsections (2), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), and (9) of this
Page 9, Line 20section take effect pursuant to subsection (11)(a) of this section,
Page 9, Line 21on the day prior to the repeal of this section or one year later
Page 9, Line 22pursuant to subsection (11)(b) of this section, the state
Page 9, Line 23treasurer shall transfer all unexpended and unencumbered
Page 10, Line 1money received for purposes of implementing this section to the
Page 10, Line 2state education fund created in section 17 (4) of article IX of the state constitution.
Page 10, Line 3(11) (a) Subsections (2), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), and (9) of this
Page 10, Line 4section take effect if the office receives fifty thousand dollars
Page 10, Line 5of gifts, grants, or donations for the purpose of this section or
Page 10, Line 6if the office receives an in-kind donation as part of a
Page 10, Line 7public-private partnership agreement for which the value is
Page 10, Line 8equal to fifty thousand dollars. The office shall notify the
Page 10, Line 9revisor of statutes in writing of the date on which the condition
Page 10, Line 10specified in this subsection (11)(a) has occurred by emailing the
Page 10, Line 11notice to revisorofstatutes.ga@coleg.gov. Subsections (2), (4),
Page 10, Line 12(5), (6), (7), (8), and (9) of this section take effect upon the date
Page 10, Line 13identified in the notice that the commission has received fifty
Page 10, Line 14thousand dollars of gifts, grants, or donations, or an in-kind
Page 10, Line 15donation as part of a public-private partnership agreement for
Page 10, Line 16which the value is equal to fifty thousand dollars, for the
Page 10, Line 17purposes of this section or, if the notice does not specify that date, upon the date of the notice to the revisor of statutes.
Page 10, Line 18(b) This section is repealed, effective July 1, 2027; except
Page 10, Line 19that, if the revisor of statutes receives notice pursuant to this
Page 10, Line 20section, then this section is repealed, effective one year after the requirements of subsection (7) of this section are satisfied.
Page 10, Line 21SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 24-33.5-2702, amend (2)(g); and add (2)(g.5) as follows:
Page 10, Line 2224-33.5-2702. Office of school safety - created - duties - grants
Page 10, Line 23manager - crisis response unit. (2) The office has the following duties:
Page 11, Line 1(g) To administer the youth violence prevention grant program;
andPage 11, Line 2(g.5) To oversee the work group created in section 24-33.5-2705; and
Page 11, Line 3SECTION 4. Appropriation. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year,
Page 11, Line 4$50,000 is appropriated to the department of public safety for use by the
Page 11, Line 5executive director's office. This appropriation is from the
Page 11, Line 6trauma-informed practices for school safety drills fund created in section
Page 11, Line 724-33.5-2705 (9), C.R.S. To implement this act, the office may use this
Page 11, Line 8appropriation for administrative services related to the office of school safety.
Page 11, Line 9SECTION 5. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act
Page 11, Line 10takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the
Page 11, Line 11ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except
Page 11, Line 12that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V
Page 11, Line 13of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this
Page 11, Line 14act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take
Page 11, Line 15effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in
Page 11, Line 16November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.