§ 115C-105.47. Local safe school plans. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 115C‑105.47.  Localsafe school plans.

(a)        Each local board ofeducation shall develop a local school administrative unit safe school plandesigned to provide that every school in the local school administrative unitis safe, secure, and orderly, that there is a climate of respect in everyschool, and that appropriate personal conduct is a priority for all studentsand all public school personnel. The board shall include parents, the schoolcommunity, representatives of the community, and others in the development orreview of this plan. The plan may be developed by or in conjunction with othercommittees.

(b)        Each plan shallinclude each of the following components:

(1)        Clear statements ofthe standard of behavior expected of students at different grade levels and ofschool personnel and clear statements of the consequences that will result fromone or more violations of those standards. There shall be a statement ofconsequences for students under the age of 13 who physically assault andseriously injure a teacher or other individual on school property or at aschool‑sponsored or school‑related activity. The consequences mayinclude placement in an alternative setting.

(2)        A clear statement ofthe responsibility of the superintendent for coordinating the adoption and theimplementation of the plan, evaluating principals' performance regarding schoolsafety, monitoring and evaluating the implementation of safety plans at theschool level, and coordinating with local law enforcement and court officialsappropriate aspects of implementation of the plan. The statement ofresponsibility shall provide appropriate disciplinary consequences that mayoccur if the superintendent fails to carry out these responsibilities. Theseconsequences may include a reprimand in the superintendent's personnel file orwithholding of the superintendent's salary, or both.

(3)        A clear statement ofthe responsibility of the school principal for restoring, if necessary, andmaintaining a safe, secure, and orderly school environment and of theconsequences that may occur if the principal fails to meet that responsibility.The principal's duties shall include exhibiting appropriate leadership forschool personnel and students, providing for alternative placements forstudents who are seriously disruptive, reporting all criminal acts under G.S.115C‑288(g), and providing appropriate disciplinary consequences fordisruptive students. The consequences to the principal that may occur shallinclude a reprimand in the principal's personnel file and disciplinaryproceedings under G.S. 115C‑325.

(4)        Clear statements ofthe roles of other administrators, teachers, and other school personnel inrestoring, if necessary, and maintaining a safe, secure, and orderly schoolenvironment.

(5)        Procedures for identifyingand serving the needs of students who are at risk of academic failure or ofengaging in disruptive or disorderly behavior.

(6)        Mechanisms forassessing the needs of disruptive and disorderly students and students who areat risk of academic failure, and providing them with services to assist them inachieving academically and in modifying their behavior, and removing them fromthe classroom when necessary.

(7)        Measurableobjectives for improving school safety and order.

(8)        Measures of theeffectiveness of efforts to assist students at risk of academic failure or ofengaging in disorderly or disruptive behavior. The measures shall include ananalysis of the effectiveness of procedures adopted under G.S. 115C‑105.48for students referred to alternative schools and alternative learning programs.

(9)        Professionaldevelopment clearly matched to the goals and objectives of the plan. Thisprofessional development shall include a component to train appropriate schoolpersonnel in the management of disruptive or dangerous student behavior.Appropriate school personnel may include, but is not limited to, teachers,teacher assistants, school administrators, bus drivers, school resourceofficers, school psychologists, and school counselors. The training shall includeinstruction in positive management of student behavior, effective communicationfor defusing and deescalating disruptive or dangerous behavior, and safe andappropriate use of seclusion and restraint. The appropriate personnel withpriority for the training shall include those staff members who are most likelyto be called upon to prevent or address disruptive or dangerous studentbehavior. Each local board of education shall include in this component of itssafe school plan procedures to evaluate the effectiveness of this training inpreventing or addressing disruptive or dangerous student behavior. Local boardsof education are encouraged to use available sources of discretionary revenueto implement the plan to train personnel in the management of disruptive ordangerous student behavior. Local boards may only be required to implement thebehavior management training component of the plan to the extent that fundshave been appropriated for this purpose by the General Assembly or by localunits of government. By January 1, 2006, local boards of education shall amendtheir safe school plans to include this training component.

(10)      A plan to workeffectively with local law enforcement officials and court officials to ensurethat schools are safe and laws are enforced.

(11)      A plan to provideaccess to information to the school community, parents, and representatives ofthe local community on the ongoing implementation of the local plan, monitoringof the local plan, and the integration of educational and other services forstudents into the total school program.

(12)      The name and roledescription of the person responsible for implementation of the plan.

(13)      Direction to schoolimprovement teams within the local school administrative unit to consider the specialconditions at their schools and to incorporate into their school improvementplans the appropriate components of the local plan for:

a.         maintaining safe andorderly schools; and

b.         addressing the needsof students who are at risk of academic failure or who are disruptive or both.

(13a)    A clear statement ofthe services that will be provided to students who are assigned to analternative school or an alternative learning program.

(14)      A clear and detailedstatement of the planned use of federal, State, and local funds allocated forat‑risk students and alternative schools and alternative learningprograms.

(15)      Any other informationthe local board considers necessary or appropriate to implement this Article.

A local board may develop itsplan under this section by conducting a comprehensive review of its existingpolicies, plans, statements, and procedures to determine whether they: (i) areeffective; (ii) have been updated to address recent changes in the law; (iii)meet the current needs of each school in the local school administrative unit;and (iv) address the components required to be included in the local plan. Theboard then may consolidate and supplement any previously developed policies,plans, statements, and procedures that the board determines are effective andupdated, meet the current needs of each school, and meet the requirements ofthis subsection.

Once developed, the boardshall submit the local plan to the State Board of Education and shall ensurethe plan is available and accessible to parents and the school community. Theboard shall provide annually to the State Board information that demonstrateshow the At‑Risk Student Services/Alternative Schools Funding allotmenthas been used to (i) prevent academic failure and (ii) promote school safety.

(c)        A local board mayamend the plan as often as it considers necessary or appropriate. (1997‑443, s.8.29(r)(1); 1999‑397, s. 2; 2005‑205, s. 4.)