BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 316
Page 1
Date of Hearing: June 26, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Joan Buchanan, Chair
SB 316 (Block) - As Amended: May 28, 2013
SENATE VOTE : 39-0
SUBJECT : School safety: door locks
SUMMARY : Requires, on or after January 1, 2016, all
modernization projects submitted to the Division of State
Architect (DSA) to include locks that allow doors to classrooms
and any room with an occupancy of five or more persons to be
locked from the inside. Specifically, this bill :
1)Specifies that the provisions in this bill apply only to a
modernization project that is funded by the proceeds of a
state education bond approved by voters on or after January 1,
2014.
2)Requires the State Allocation Board (SAB) to adopt regulations
to adjust the modernization per-pupil grant allowance to
reflect the associated cost of installing locks required
pursuant to this bill.
3)Specifies that if federal funding becomes available for
purposes of school safety, a school district shall do the
following:
a) Consider using these funds first to install locks that
are lockable from the inside in every classroom and every
room with an occupancy of five or more persons.
b) Require the locks to conform to the specifications and
requirements of Title 24 of the California Code of
Regulations.
c) Exempt doors that are locked from the outside at all
times and pupil restrooms from the requirements.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires, under the Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of
1998, the SAB to allocate to applicant school districts,
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prescribed per-unhoused-pupil state funding for construction
and modernization of school facilities, including hardship
funding, and supplemental funding for site development and
acquisition.
2)Prohibits the SAB from apportioning funds to any school
district unless the applicant school district has certified to
the SAB that it has obtained the written approval of the
California Department of Education (CDE) that the site
selection, and the building plans and specifications, comply
with the standards adopted by the CDE.
3)Prohibits the SAB from apportioning funds to any school
district that has not received approval from the DSA that the
project meets Field Act requirements.
4)Requires the DSA, under the police power of the state, to
supervise the design and construction of any school building
or the reconstruction or alteration of or addition to any
school building to ensure that plans and specifications comply
with existing law and Title 24 regulations.
5)Requires, on and after July 1, 2011, all new construction
projects submitted to the DSA to include locks that allow
doors to classrooms and any room with an occupancy of five or
more persons to be locked form the inside. Requires the locks
to conform to the specifications and requirements set forth in
Title 24 regulations. Exempts doors that are locked from the
outside at all times and pupil restrooms from the requirement.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, potentially significant costs pressure to state bond
funds.
COMMENTS : AB 211 (Mendoza), Chapter 430, Statutes of 2010,
requires, as a condition for state education bond funds, all new
construction projects submitted to the DSA on and after July 1,
2011 to include locks that allow a door to be locked from the
inside of a classroom or any room that accommodates five or more
people. This bill extends the requirement to K-12 modernization
projects submitted to the DSA on or after January 1, 2016 for
projects that are funded by a 2014 or later bond. The bill
further directs the SAB, the ten-member Board charged with
administering the School Facility Program (SFP) and state
education bond funds, to develop regulations to adjust the
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modernization pupil grant allowance to reflect the cost of the
locks. Classroom security locks, which are locks that can be
opened from the inside simply by turning a lever even when the
door is locked, are estimated to cost $300 each and about $500
installed. Costs would be higher if a door needs to be
replaced. Existing law requiring the locks to comply with Title
24 regulations and exempting doors that are locked from the
outside at all times and student restrooms also apply to the
modernization projects pursuant to this bill. AB 211 initially
included modernization projects but was removed by the Assembly
Appropriations Committee.
Background . All proposed public school construction and
modernization projects must receive approval from the DSA, which
reviews architectural plans for compliance with the Field Act
(seismic safety); fire, life and safety requirements; and access
requirements under the Americans with Disability Act. DSA
grants approvals based on the requirements specified by Title 24
regulations, also known as the California Building Standards
Code.
Eligibility for education bond funds for
modernization/rehabilitation projects under the SFP is based on
the age of a building. A permanent building is eligible for
modernization funds if it is more than 25 years old and a
portable classroom is eligible if it is more than 20 years old.
Section 17074.25 of the Education Code specifies that
modernization funds can be used for improvements to extend the
useful life of, or to enhance the physical environment, of a
school. Eligible expenditures include purchase and installation
of air-conditioning equipment, and insulation materials and
related costs, furniture and equipment, including
telecommunication equipment to increase school security, fire
safety improvements, playground safety improvements, the
identification, assessment, or abatement of hazardous asbestos,
seismic safety improvements, and the upgrading of electrical
systems or the wiring or cabling of classrooms in order to
accommodate educational technology. Modernization grants
require a 40% local match. Since the inception of the SFP in
1998, New Construction grants have received increases (on top of
the annual construction cost index), while the modernization
grants have only received the annual construction cost index.
Local educational agencies have expressed concerns that the
modernization grant levels are generally inadequate.
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The requirement to install and use a specified type of lock can
be easily implemented in a new construction project as locks can
be included in a design plan. It is more complicated for
modernization projects. As noted above, a modernization project
may simply be upgrading a roof, removing asbestos, or upgrading
playground equipment. The bill requires all projects submitted
to DSA to include locks. Presumably, this means only the locks
in the particular building that is the subject of the DSA
application would be required to install locks that can be
locked from the inside.
This bill also requires school districts to first consider using
any available federal school safety funds to install locks that
are lockable from the inside of every classroom and every room
with an occupancy of five or more persons. Following the
shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut
in December 2012, the President, Congress, States, and school
districts across the country have renewed their attention on
school safety. President Obama has proposed a package of
initiatives to improve school safety, including $150 million for
the Comprehensive School Safety Program for school districts and
law enforcement agencies to hire school resource officers,
school psychologists, social workers, and counselors. The
Comprehensive School Safety Grants can also be used to purchase
school safety equipment, develop and update public safety plans,
conduct threat assessments, and train "crisis intervention
teams" of law enforcement officers to work with the mental
health community to respond to and assist students in crisis.
While each district should have discretion to determine the
school safety measures that are best suited for its district,
this bill does not require the use of the funds for locks.
At a SAB subcommittee hearing on school safety, the CDE reported
that infrastructure, which includes safe rooms and classroom
locks, is only one component of school security. Other
components include securing perimeters, controlling access
(ingress and egress), appropriate school staffing, and clear
communication, including communication systems.
Arguments in support . The California Federation of Teachers,
the sponsor of this bill, states, "Violent or potentially
violent incidents on school campuses and in the immediate
neighborhoods surrounding school campuses are increasing at an
alarming rate. In these circumstances, school personnel employ
lockdowns to temporarily confine students and staff in the
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schools and to keep perpetrators out of the schools. Lockdowns
have proven an effective tool to facilitate the safety of pupils
and staff. The locks in many school classrooms, offices, and
other rooms where pupils and staff gather often can only be
locked from the outside. As a result, the safety of school
staff and pupils could be placed in jeopardy if school staff is
required to open the door and enter a hallway in order to lock
doors during a violent incident."
Related legislation . AB 1076 (Olsen), specifies that if federal
funding becomes available, the governing board of each school
district and each county superintendent of schools may equip the
interior of each classroom, cafeteria, theater, gym, and any
other regularly used space, except a parking lot, in a public
school serving pupils in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12,
inclusive, with a panic button to be used to alert local law
enforcement in the event of a violent incident. The bill was
held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee suspense file this
year.
Prior legislation . AB 85 (Mendoza), introduced in 2012,
requires all K-12 modernization projects and all community
college district new construction projects that include
rehabilitation in a classroom or a room with an occupancy of
five or more to install locks that can be locked from the
inside. The bill as held in the Assembly Appropriations
Committee suspense file.
AB 211 (Mendoza), Chapter 430, Statutes of 2010, requires, as a
condition for state education bond funds, all new construction
projects submitted to the DSA on and after July 1, 2011 to
include locks that allow a door to be locked from the inside of
a classroom or any room that accommodates five or more people.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Federation of Teachers (sponsor)
California Association of Joint Powers Authorities
California Labor Federation
California School Boards Association
California School Employees Association
California State PTA
Los Angeles Unified School District
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Riverside County Superintendent of Schools
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087