BILL ANALYSIS
AB 211
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 211 (Mendoza)
As Amended June 1, 2009
Majority vote
EDUCATION 11-0 APPROPRIATIONS 13-3
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|Ayes:|Brownley, Nestande, |Ayes:|De Leon, Ammiano, Charles |
| |Ammiano, | |Calderon, Davis, Fuentes, |
| |Arambula, Buchanan, | |Hall, John A. Perez, |
| |Carter, Eng, | |Price, Skinner, Solorio, |
| | Garrick, Miller, | |Audra Strickland, |
| |Solorio, Torlakson | |Torlakson, |
| | | |Krekorian |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+---------------------------|
| | |Nays:|Nielsen, Duvall, Harkey |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires, on and after January 1, 2010, all new school
construction 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)Makes the following declarations and findings:
a) Violent incidents on school campuses are increasing at
an alarming rate. Lockdowns are an effective tool that can
be used on school campuses to facilitate the safety of
pupils and staff during violent incidents;
b) The locks in most school classrooms, offices, and other
rooms where pupils and staff gather can be locked only from
the outside, and the safety of school staff and pupils
could be placed in jeopardy if school staff is required to
go out into a hallway to lock doors during a violent
incident; and,
c) Locking mechanisms that lock a door from the inside,
commonly referred to as classroom function locks, have been
developed to quickly lock doors to classrooms, offices, and
other rooms from the inside.
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2)Requires the locks to conform to the specifications and
requirements in Title 24 of the California Code of
Regulations.
3)Specifies that doors that are locked from the outside at all
times and pupil restrooms are exempt from the requirements of
this bill.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, annual state school construction bond cost pressure
of approximately $200,000. According to the California
Department of Education, 4,694 classrooms need to be constructed
for the next five years to meet the state's need.
COMMENTS : According to the author, violent or potentially
violent incidents on school campuses and in the immediate
neighborhoods surrounding school campuses are increasing at an
alarming rate. The sponsor of the bill, the California
Federation of Teachers, considers existing door locks in
classrooms to pose a safety threat to teachers and their
students.
Since 1999, when two high school students killed 12 students and
a teacher and wounded 23 others before committing suicide at
Columbine High School in Colorado, school safety has been a
major concern in schools across the country. In such
situations, schools will employ lock downs to keep students in
and perpetrators out. However, if teachers and other school
staff do not have the capability to lock the outside from the
inside, there could be a delay in time which could increase
exposure to harmful situations.
This bill requires, as a condition for state education bond
funds, all new construction projects submitted to the DSA on and
after January 1, 2010 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.
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
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grants approvals based on the requirements specified by Title 24
under the California Code of Regulations (the California
Building Standards Code).
Section 1008.1.8.4 of Title 24 regulations prohibits manually
operated flush bolts or surface bolts on all egress doors except
doors in residential dwellings and doors for storage or
equipment rooms. In addition, section 1207.3 of the California
Fire Code specifies that "exit doors shall be openable from the
inside without the use of a key or any special knowledge or
effort. Exit doors shall not be locked, chained, bolted,
barred, latched or otherwise rendered unusable. All locking
devices shall be of an approved type." These provisions ensure
that occupants are easily able to exit a building or classroom
in a panic situation, such as a fire or earthquake.
Title 24 regulations do authorize the use of locks that are
connected to the latching mechanism of the door so that the lock
is automatically disengaged without the use of a key or
requirement of special knowledge or effort. For example, a
thumbturn lock (slide bolt) above a door lever that unlocks when
the lever is turned in one motion is an authorized lock.
According to a lock expert, "classroom security locks" have the
ability to lock the outside from the inside of a room with a
key. The author and sponsor are concerned that teachers do not
always carry their keys and the bill, therefore, leaves it up to
a district to decide whether the lock should be one that
requires a key to lock from the inside or simply a thumbturn or
pushbutton lock. The bill simply requires that the locks used
must comply with Title 24 regulations. The potential problem
with thumbturn or pushbutton locks is that students can lock
themselves inside if a teacher steps out of the classroom.
There is no data available to indicate the extent existing
schools already have inside locks. School architects note that
classroom security locks are already commonly included in school
design plans. One architect estimates that about 70% of the
plans include inside locks. This bill will make it a
requirement for all proposed new construction projects submitted
to the DSA for approval beginning January 1, 2010.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
supports the bill "because its goal is to increase safety on
school campuses. Over the past ten years, incidences of school
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violence have become more prominent. As school violence
increases, legislation must be passed to battle against violence
in a place that should be one of the safest places for a child."
The Coalition for Adequate School Housing has a "support if
amended" position on the bill and requests amendments to require
the State Allocation Board to provide supplemental funding for
this purpose, and exempt modernization projects from the
requirement of the bill.
The requirement to include locks in modernization projects was
removed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0001316