HB 18-1434

HB 18-1434, also known as the Safe2tell Program New Duties and Annual Report bill, requires Colorado schools and school districts to receive training on how to use a program that allows students to anonymously report safety concerns. The bill mandates that the Safe2tell program provide educational materials to prevent misuse, offer technical support when needed, and analyze reports made through the program to track their outcomes. Additionally, it requires the program to produce an annual report detailing various aspects of its operations and effectiveness. This bill was signed into law and will be funded with $164,920 from marijuana tax revenue, aiming to improve school safety by better managing and responding to student reports.

Official Summary

The bill requires the safe2tell program (program) to do the following: Provide training and support to all preschool, elementary, and secondary schools and school districts in Colorado regarding school safety related to the safe2tell program, including answering questions and discussing reports received by the program; Provide educational materials to all preschool, elementary, and secondary schools in Colorado aimed at preventing misuse of the program; Provide technical assistance and support to law enforcement officials and school officials when there is misuse of the program; and Analyze and follow up with law enforcement and schools to determine the outcome of a report made to the program, including actions taken on the report. The bill requires the safe2tell program to prepare a written report analyzing data from the previous year on or before each December 1, beginning in 2018. The report must include data from the preceding fiscal year concerning the following and any recommendations concerning the following: A summary of outcomes and actions taken on reports made to the program; The number of safe2tell reports by category, broken down by month; The total number of incidents of misuse of the program, broken down into categories; The number of reports received involving a single incident; The number of times safe2tell was used by a reporting party to make a threat against or otherwise harm another person; The number of times a reporting party was in crisis and was reporting to the program to obtain assistance and the time it took to identify the reporting party and respond; The effectiveness of the safe2tell dispatch center in the department of public safety; and Recommendations regarding how to improve the program based on the available data. The bill appropriates $164,920 from the marijuana tax cash fund and provides 1.6 FTE to the department of law to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

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