School Safety Plans (H 7897, S 2280)

We requested an amendment to legislation that would require schools to develop school safety plans that would give first responders immediate access to school facilities in an emergency. Specifically, the legislation would require “unobstructed access to all of the school’s or institution’s facilities to include buildings, classrooms, and grounds by law enforcement personnel and emergency medical personnel in responding to an emergency.” Importantly, the bill does not define “emergency.” In light of extremely aggressive actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, we noted our concern that this bill could be interpreted as allowing ICE to enter school buildings without a warrant based on self-justified “emergencies.”