                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA CENTER FOR SCHOOL AND CAMPUS SAFETY CREATED; DUTIES (§ 9.1-184)

A. From such funds as may be appropriated, the Virginia Center for School and
Campus Safety (the Center) is hereby established within the Department. The
Center shall:

   1. Provide training for Virginia public school personnel in school safety, on
   evidence-based antibullying tactics based on the definition of bullying in
   &#xA7; 22.1-276.01, and in the effective identification of students who may be
   at risk for violent behavior and in need of special services or assistance;

   2. Serve as a resource and referral center for Virginia school divisions by
   conducting research, sponsoring workshops, and providing information regarding
   current school safety concerns, such as conflict management and peer
   mediation, bullying as defined in &#xA7; 22.1-276.01, school facility design
   and technology, current state and federal statutory and regulatory school
   safety requirements, and legal and constitutional issues regarding school
   safety and individual rights;

   3. Maintain and disseminate information to local school divisions on effective
   school safety initiatives in Virginia and across the nation;

   4. Develop a case management tool for the collection and reporting of data by
   threat assessment teams pursuant to &#xA7; 22.1-79.4;

   5. Collect, analyze, and disseminate various Virginia school safety data,
   including school safety audit information submitted to it pursuant to &#xA7;
   22.1-279.8, collected by the Department and, in conjunction with the
   Department of Education, information relating to the activities of school
   resource officers submitted pursuant to &#xA7; 22.1-279.10;

   6. Encourage the development of partnerships between the public and private
   sectors to promote school safety in Virginia;

   7. Provide technical assistance to Virginia school divisions in the
   development and implementation of initiatives promoting school safety,
   including threat assessment-based protocols with such funds as may be
   available for such purpose;

   8. Develop a memorandum of understanding between the Director of the
   Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Superintendent of Public
   Instruction to ensure collaboration and coordination of roles and
   responsibilities in areas of mutual concern, such as school safety audits and
   crime prevention;

   9. Provide training for and certification of school security officers, as
   defined in &#xA7; 9.1-101 and consistent with &#xA7; 9.1-110;

   10. Develop, in conjunction with the Department of State Police, the
   Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and the Department
   of Education, a model critical incident response training program for public
   school personnel and others providing services to schools that shall also be
   made available to private schools in the Commonwealth;

   11. In consultation with the Department of Education, provide schools with a
   model policy for the establishment of threat assessment teams, including
   procedures for the assessment of and intervention with students whose behavior
   poses a threat to the safety of school staff or students;

   12. Develop a model memorandum of understanding setting forth the respective
   roles and responsibilities of local school boards and local law-enforcement
   agencies regarding the use of school resource officers. Such model memorandum
   of understanding may be used by local school boards and local law-enforcement
   agencies to satisfy the requirements of subsection A of &#xA7; 22.1-280.2:3;
   and

   13. Designate an employee of the Center as the school personnel safety
   official for the Commonwealth whose duty is to compile, maintain, and make
   publicly available a list of each division safety official designated and the
   contact information for such individual included in each collated packet of
   school safety audits received pursuant to subsection B of &#xA7; 22.1-279.8.
   Such school personnel safety official for the Commonwealth shall at least
   annually confirm with each division superintendent that such contact
   information is up to date and accurate.

B. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall cooperate with the Center and, upon
request, assist the Center in the performance of its duties and
responsibilities.

HISTORY: 2000, c. 519, § 9-173.21; 2001, cc. 436, 440, 844; 2002, cc. 836, 868;
2012, cc. 281, 433; 2013, cc. 676, 710; 2014, cc. 7, 92, 158; 2019, cc. 39, 455,
456, 502; 2020, cc. 169, 1039; 2022, c. 769; 2023, cc. 282, 283.