A Bill for an Act
Page 1, Line 101Concerning the use of trauma-informed practices to address
Page 1, Line 102school safety.
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.
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 - notice to
Page 3, Line 8revisor 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
Page 4, Line 17safety, appointed by the executive director, or the executive director's designee;
Page 4, Line 18(B) A representative from the office, appointed by the director, or the director's designee;
Page 4, Line 19(C) A representative from the office of gun violence
Page 4, Line 20prevention created in section 25-20.5-1202, appointed by the
Page 5, Line 1executive director of the department of public health and environment;
Page 5, Line 2(D) The commissioner of the department of education, or the commissioner's designee; and
Page 5, Line 3(E) A student who attends a Colorado public school,
Page 5, Line 4appointed by the governor, on the advice of a statewide student coalition;
Page 5, Line 5(II) The work group consists of the following voting members:
Page 5, Line 6(A) A school district superintendent who represents
Page 5, Line 7either a rural or suburban school district, appointed by the
Page 5, Line 8president of the senate, on the advice of a statewide association that represents superintendents of public schools;
Page 5, Line 9(B) Two school principals, one of whom must represent
Page 5, Line 10either a district charter school, as defined in section
Page 5, Line 1122-30.5-112.1, or an institute charter school, as defined in
Page 5, Line 12section 22-30.5-502, each appointed by the minority leader of the
Page 5, Line 13house of representatives, on the advice of a statewide association that represents school administrators;
Page 5, Line 14(C) Two teachers, one of whom must represent an urban
Page 5, Line 15school district, appointed by the president of the senate, on the
Page 5, Line 16advice of a statewide professional association that represents
Page 5, Line 17the greatest proportion of educators in the state, and one of
Page 5, Line 18whom must represent a rural school district, appointed by the
Page 5, Line 19speaker of the house of representatives, on the advice of a
Page 5, Line 20statewide organization that represents only rural school
Page 5, Line 21districts;
Page 6, Line 1(D) A school nurse, appointed by the minority leader of
Page 6, Line 2the house of representatives, on the advice of a statewide professional association that represents school nurses;
Page 6, Line 3(E) A child development professional, appointed by the
Page 6, Line 4minority leader of the senate, on the advice of a statewide
Page 6, Line 5organization comprised of medical professionals boarded or certified in pediatrics;
Page 6, Line 6(F) A behavioral health professional, appointed by the behavioral health commissioner;
Page 6, Line 7(G) A professional specializing in trauma-informed practices, appointed by the office;
Page 6, Line 8(H) A school resource officer with experience in rural
Page 6, Line 9or urban school settings, appointed by the minority leader of
Page 6, Line 10the senate, on the advice of a statewide association of county sheriffs;
Page 6, Line 11(I) A professional expert in public health or school
Page 6, Line 12safety, appointed by executive director of the department of public health and environment;
Page 6, Line 13(J) A representative from the fire and life safety section
Page 6, Line 14of the division of fire prevention and control, appointed by the director of the division of fire prevention and control;
Page 6, Line 15(K) A parent of a student currently attending a
Page 6, Line 16Colorado public school, appointed by the speaker of the house
Page 6, Line 17of representatives, on the advice of a statewide parent organization that focuses on education policy; and
Page 6, Line 18(L) An at-large member, appointed by the governor.
Page 6, Line 19(b) The appointing authorities shall appoint the members
Page 7, Line 1of the work group as soon as possible after the effective date of
Page 7, Line 2this subsection (5) but no later than twenty-eight days after the effective date of this subsection (5).
Page 7, Line 3(c) Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the work
Page 7, Line 4group must be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
Page 7, Line 5(d) A majority of the members appointed to the work group
Page 7, Line 6constitutes a quorum. If the work group is unable to reach a
Page 7, Line 7quorum due to unforeseen circumstances, the work group may
Page 7, Line 8proceed with a reduced quorum of no fewer than six voting members.
Page 7, Line 9(e) The chairperson of the work group shall convene the
Page 7, Line 10first meeting of the work group no later than fifty-six days
Page 7, Line 11after the effective date of this section. The work group shall
Page 7, Line 12meet at least four times during the first six months of its
Page 7, Line 13operation and at least three times during the second six months
Page 7, Line 14of its operation. The work group shall establish procedures to
Page 7, Line 15allow members of the work group to participate in the meetings remotely.
Page 7, Line 16(f) The members of the work group serve without
Page 7, Line 17compensation but may be reimbursed for expenses directly relating to their service on the work group.
Page 7, Line 18(g) Upon the request of the chairperson of the work
Page 7, Line 19group, the office shall provide staff assistance, meeting space,
Page 7, Line 20or audio-visual communication technology resources to the work group as necessary for the performance of its duties.
Page 7, Line 21(6) The work group shall:
Page 8, Line 1(a) Identify the intended outcomes of the trauma-informed practices;
Page 8, Line 2(b) Identify best practices for incorporating
Page 8, Line 3trauma-informed practices into school safety drills to respond to different types of school safety incidents;
Page 8, Line 4(c) Use the best practices identified in subsection(6)(b)of
Page 8, Line 5this section to determine how to best implement trauma-informed practices for schools to:
Page 8, Line 6(I) Plan and execute different types of school safety drills;
Page 8, Line 7(II) Immediately respond to a school safety incident; and
Page 8, Line 8(III) Best respond to students who have an emotional reaction as a result of school safety drills;
Page 8, Line 9(d) Determine the skills and knowledge necessary to
Page 8, Line 10train school personnel to adequately implement and use
Page 8, Line 11trauma-informed practices when conducting school safety drills;
Page 8, Line 12(e) Determine the necessary frequency of school
Page 8, Line 13personnel training to ensure the adequate use of trauma-informed practices during school safety drills;
Page 8, Line 14(f) Determine the necessary frequency of school safety
Page 8, Line 15drills to adequately prepare students and school personnel for school safety incidents;
Page 8, Line 16(g) Determine the amount of advance notice given to parents before conducting a school safety drill;
Page 8, Line 17(h) Provide guidance for parents on talking to students
Page 8, Line 18about school safety drills;
Page 9, Line 1(i) Identify state and local resources needed to support
Page 9, Line 2schools in implementing trauma-informed practices for conducting school safety drills; and
Page 9, Line 3(j) Identify possible funding sources to support schools in
Page 9, Line 4incorporating trauma-informed practices into school safety drills to respond to different types of school safety incidents.
Page 9, Line 5(7) The work group shall create a report containing
Page 9, Line 6findings and recommendations created pursuant to subsection
Page 9, Line 7(6)of this section. The report must account for the different needs of elementary and secondary schools.
Page 9, Line 8(8) No later than one year and one month after the
Page 9, Line 9effective date of this subsection (8), the work group must submit
Page 9, Line 10a report containing the findings and recommendations
Page 9, Line 11developed pursuant to subsection (7) of this section to the office
Page 9, Line 12and to the education committees of the house of representatives
Page 9, Line 13and the senate, or any successor committees; the governor; the
Page 9, Line 14state board; the commissioner of education; and the department
Page 9, Line 15of education.The department of education shall submit the
Page 9, Line 16report to the general assembly as part of its "SMART" Act presentation required by section 2-7-203.
Page 9, Line 17(9) (a) The office may seek, accept, and expend gifts,
Page 9, Line 18grants, or donations from private or public sources for the
Page 9, Line 19purposes of this section. The office shall transmit all money
Page 9, Line 20received through gifts, grants, or donations to the state treasurer.
Page 9, Line 21(b) The office may enter into a public-private partnership
Page 9, Line 22agreement to carry out the requirements of this section. For
Page 10, Line 1purposes of this section, if the office enters into a public-private
Page 10, Line 2partnership agreement, the public-private partnership
Page 10, Line 3agreement is considered an in-kind donation that counts as a
Page 10, Line 4gift, grant, or donation in the monetary amount that correlates with the value of the contract.
Page 10, Line 5(10) (a) If by June 30, 2027, subsections (2), (4), (5), (6), (7),
Page 10, Line 6(8), and (9) of this section have not taken effect, the state
Page 10, Line 7treasurer shall transfer all money received for purposes of
Page 10, Line 8implementing this section to the state education fund created in section 17 (4) of article IX of the state constitution.
Page 10, Line 9(b) If subsections (2), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), and (9) of this
Page 10, Line 10section take effect pursuant to subsection (11)(a) of this section,
Page 10, Line 11on the day prior to the repeal of this section or one year later
Page 10, Line 12pursuant to subsection (11)(b) of this section, the state
Page 10, Line 13treasurer shall transfer all unexpended and unencumbered
Page 10, Line 14money received for purposes of implementing this section to the
Page 10, Line 15state education fund created in section 17 (4) of article IX of the state constitution.
Page 10, Line 16(11) (a) Subsections (2), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), and (9) of this
Page 10, Line 17section take effect if the office receives fifty thousand dollars
Page 10, Line 18of gifts, grants, or donations for the purpose of this section or
Page 10, Line 19if the office receives an in-kind donation as part of a
Page 10, Line 20public-private partnership agreement for which the value is
Page 10, Line 21equal to fifty thousand dollars. The office shall notify the
Page 10, Line 22revisor of statutes in writing of the date on which the condition
Page 10, Line 23specified in this subsection (11)(a) has occurred by emailing the
Page 10, Line 24notice to revisorofstatutes.ga@coleg.gov. Subsections (2), (4),
Page 11, Line 1(5), (6), (7), (8), and (9) of this section take effect upon the date
Page 11, Line 2identified in the notice that the commission has received fifty
Page 11, Line 3thousand dollars of gifts, grants, or donations, or an in-kind
Page 11, Line 4donation as part of a public-private partnership agreement for
Page 11, Line 5which the value is equal to fifty thousand dollars, for the
Page 11, Line 6purposes of this section or, if the notice does not specify that date, upon the date of the notice to the revisor of statutes.
Page 11, Line 7(b) This section is repealed, effective July 1, 2027; except
Page 11, Line 8that, if the revisor of statutes receives notice pursuant to this
Page 11, Line 9section, then this section is repealed, effective one year after the requirements of subsection (7) of this section are satisfied.
Page 11, Line 10SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 24-33.5-2702, amend (2)(g); and add (2)(g.5) as follows:
Page 11, Line 1124-33.5-2702. Office of school safety - created - duties - grants manager - crisis response unit. (2) The office has the following duties:
Page 11, Line 12(g) To administer the youth violence prevention grant program;
andPage 11, Line 13(g.5) To oversee the work group created in section 24-33.5-2705; and
Page 11, Line 14SECTION 4. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act
Page 11, Line 15takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the
Page 11, Line 16ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except
Page 11, Line 17that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V
Page 11, Line 18of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this
Page 11, Line 19act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take
Page 11, Line 20effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in
Page 12, Line 1November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.