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 - definitions.
Page 3, Line 8(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 shall obtain input from parents and
Page 4, Line 8students who reflect the diversity of the state with regard to
Page 4, Line 9race, ethnicity, immigration status, socioeconomic status, geography, and disability.
Page 4, Line 10(4) (a) (I) The work group consists of the following nonvoting members:
Page 4, Line 11(A) The commissioner of education, or the commissioner of education's designee;
Page 4, Line 12(B) A representative from the behavioral health
Page 4, Line 13administration created in section 27-50-203, appointed by the commissioner of the behavioral health administration;
Page 4, Line 14(C) A representative from the department of public safety, appointed by the executive director;
Page 4, Line 15(D) A student who attends a Colorado public school, appointed by the governor.
Page 4, Line 16(II) The work group consists of the following voting members:
Page 4, Line 17(A) The director, or the director's designee, who is the
Page 4, Line 18chairperson of the work group;
Page 5, Line 1(B) Three school district superintendents, or their
Page 5, Line 2respective designees, one of whom must represent an urban
Page 5, Line 3school district; one of whom must represent a rural school
Page 5, Line 4district; and one of whom must represent a suburban school
Page 5, Line 5district, each appointed by the president of the senate, on the
Page 5, Line 6advice of a statewide association that represents school executives;
Page 5, Line 7(C) Four school principals, or their respective designees,
Page 5, Line 8one of whom must represent an elementary school, appointed by
Page 5, Line 9the speaker of the house, on the advice of a statewide
Page 5, Line 10association that represents school executives; one of whom
Page 5, Line 11must represent a middle school, appointed by the speaker of the
Page 5, Line 12house, on the advice of a statewide association that represents
Page 5, Line 13school executives; one of whom must represent a high school,
Page 5, Line 14appointed by the president of the senate, on the advice of a
Page 5, Line 15statewide association that represents school executives; and
Page 5, Line 16one of whom must represent either a district charter school, as
Page 5, Line 17defined in section 22-30.5-112.1, or an institute charter school,
Page 5, Line 18as defined in section 22-30.5-502, appointed by the minority
Page 5, Line 19leader of the senate, on the advice of a statewide association that represents school executives;
Page 5, Line 20(D) Three teachers, one of whom must represent an urban
Page 5, Line 21school district, appointed by the president of the senate, on the
Page 5, Line 22advice of a statewide association that represents educators;
Page 5, Line 23one of whom must represent a rural school district, appointed
Page 5, Line 24by the speaker of the house, on the advice of a statewide
Page 5, Line 25association that represents educators; and one of whom must
Page 6, Line 1represent a suburban school district, appointed by the president
Page 6, Line 2of the senate, on the advice of a statewide association that represents educators;
Page 6, Line 3(E) Two special services providers, as defined in section
Page 6, Line 422-60.5-102, appointed by the speaker of the house, on the advice
Page 6, Line 5of a statewide association that represents special services providers;
Page 6, Line 6(F) Two school resource officers or similar school
Page 6, Line 7personnel, one of whom must represent a rural school district
Page 6, Line 8and is appointed by the minority leader of the house of
Page 6, Line 9representatives, the other of whom is appointed by the speaker of the house;
Page 6, Line 10(G) A representative of a municipal police department or
Page 6, Line 11a county sheriff's office, appointed by the speaker of the house,
Page 6, Line 12on the advice of a statewide organization dedicated to
Page 6, Line 13protecting and supporting law enforcement and public safety personnel;
Page 6, Line 14(H) Two professional experts in child development,
Page 6, Line 15mental health, or behavioral health, one of whom is appointed
Page 6, Line 16by the president of the senate, on the advice of a mental health
Page 6, Line 17professional, and one of whom is appointed by the minority
Page 6, Line 18leader of the senate, on the advice of a mental health professional;
Page 6, Line 19(I) Two professional experts in school safety, one of whom
Page 6, Line 20is appointed by the president of the senate and one of whom is appointed by the speaker of the house;
Page 6, Line 21(J) A representative of a statewide organization that
Page 7, Line 1represents students with disabilities, appointed by the president of the senate;
Page 7, Line 2(K) A representative of an educator preparation program,
Page 7, Line 3as defined in section 22-60.5-121, appointed by the speaker of the house;
Page 7, Line 4(L) A representative of an alternative teacher program,
Page 7, Line 5as defined in section 22-60.5-102, appointed by the speaker of the house;
Page 7, Line 6(M) A representative of an organization that provides
Page 7, Line 7professional development services to educators and has
Page 7, Line 8experience in developing and incorporating trauma-informed practices, appointed by the president of the senate; and
Page 7, Line 9(N) A professional expert in natural disaster preparation, appointed by the governor.
Page 7, Line 10(b) The appointing authorities shall appoint the members of the work group by July 31, 2025.
Page 7, Line 11(c) Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the work
Page 7, Line 12group must be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
Page 7, Line 13(d) A majority of the voting members of the work group
Page 7, Line 14constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business, and a
Page 7, Line 15majority of a quorum present at any meeting is sufficient for any official action taken by the work group.
Page 7, Line 16(e) The chairperson of the work group shall convene the
Page 7, Line 17first meeting of the work group no later than September 1, 2025.
Page 7, Line 18The work group shall meet at least four times in 2025 and at
Page 7, Line 19least three times in 2026. The work group shall establish
Page 8, Line 1procedures to allow members of the work group to participate in the meetings remotely.
Page 8, Line 2(f) The members of the work group serve without
Page 8, Line 3compensation but may be reimbursed for expenses directly relating to their service on the work group.
Page 8, Line 4(g) Upon the request of the chairperson of the work
Page 8, Line 5group, the office shall provide staff assistance, meeting space,
Page 8, Line 6or audio-visual communication technology resources to the work group as necessary for the performance of its duties.
Page 8, Line 7(5) The work group shall:
Page 8, Line 8(a) Identify the intended outcomes of the trauma-informed practices;
Page 8, Line 9(b) Identify best practices for incorporating
Page 8, Line 10trauma-informed practices into school safety drills to respond to different types of school safety incidents;
Page 8, Line 11(c) Use the best practices identified in subsection (5)(b) of
Page 8, Line 12this section to determine how to best implement trauma-informed practices for schools to:
Page 8, Line 13(I) Plan and execute different types of school safety drills;
Page 8, Line 14(II) Immediately respond to a school safety incident; and
Page 8, Line 15(III) Best respond to students who have an emotional reaction as a result of school safety drills;
Page 8, Line 16(d) Determine the skills and knowledge necessary to
Page 8, Line 17train school personnel to adequately implement and use
Page 8, Line 18trauma-informed practices when conducting school safety
Page 8, Line 19drills;
Page 9, Line 1(e) Determine the necessary frequency of school
Page 9, Line 2personnel training to ensure the adequate use of trauma-informed practices during school safety drills;
Page 9, Line 3(f) Determine the necessary frequency of school safety
Page 9, Line 4drills to adequately prepare students and school personnel for school safety incidents;
Page 9, Line 5(g) Determine the amount of advance notice given to parents before conducting a school safety drill;
Page 9, Line 6(h) Provide guidance for parents on talking to students about school safety drills;
Page 9, Line 7(i) Identify state and local resources needed to support
Page 9, Line 8schools in implementing trauma-informed practices for conducting school safety drills; and
Page 9, Line 9(j) Identify possible funding sources to support schools in
Page 9, Line 10incorporating trauma-informed practices into school safety drills to respond to different types of school safety incidents.
Page 9, Line 11(6) The work group shall create a report containing
Page 9, Line 12findings and recommendations created pursuant to subsection
Page 9, Line 13(5) of this section. The report must account for the different needs of elementary and secondary schools.
Page 9, Line 14(7) No later than June 30, 2026, the work group must
Page 9, Line 15submit a report containing the findings and recommendations
Page 9, Line 16developed pursuant to subsection (6) of this section to the office
Page 9, Line 17and to the education committees of the house of representatives
Page 9, Line 18and the senate, or any successor committees; the governor; the
Page 9, Line 19state board; the commissioner of education; and the department
Page 9, Line 20of education.
Page 10, Line 1SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 24-33.5-2702, amend (2)(g); and add (2)(g.5) as follows:
Page 10, Line 224-33.5-2702. Office of school safety - created - duties - grants manager - crisis response unit. (2) The office has the following duties:
Page 10, Line 3(g) To administer the youth violence prevention grant program;
andPage 10, Line 4(g.5) To oversee the work group created in section 24-33.5-2705; and
Page 10, Line 5SECTION 4. Safety clause. The general assembly finds,
Page 10, Line 6determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate
Page 10, Line 7preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for
Page 10, Line 8the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state institutions.