Bill Overview
Title: School Shooting Safety and Preparedness Act
Description: This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to publish an annual report on indicators of school crime and safety. The report must collect specified information, including the number of school shootings that have taken place nationwide and the number of those that were mass shootings; the number of people killed or injured in each school shooting; the age, gender, race, ethnicity, and nationality of each victim; the motivation of the shooter; how the shooting was stopped; the number and type of firearms and ammunition used in each shooting; and the response time of law enforcement. ED must direct the National Center for Education Statistics to collect and publish specified data on school shootings. The center must collect information on the existence or absence of specified measures at the time of the shooting, including physical and other types of security measures, a communication plan with local law enforcement, a response plan that includes coordination with local agencies, and an active shooter response plan.
Sponsors: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]
Target Audience
Population: People worldwide concerned with school safety
Estimated Size: 70000000
- The bill focuses on collecting data regarding school shootings within the United States, which involves schools, students, teachers, and educational staff as primary stakeholders.
- The bill indirectly affects parents and guardians of students since they are concerned with school safety.
- Law enforcement agencies and their involvement in school shooting incidents also make them part of the population potentially impacted by changes or reviews necessitated by the data collected.
- Policy makers in education and public safety sectors will use this data to make informed decisions on improving safety measures, thereby affecting them as well.
- Students, as the primary occupants of schools, are directly impacted by any changes in school safety protocols that result from the findings of these reports.
- Since the bill requires the Department of Education to compile national data, it implies a national scope, affecting educational stakeholders across the country.
- The focus on demographics of victims indicates a concern for minorities and diversity, potentially influencing policies that affect these groups.
Reasoning
- The population distribution reflects a diverse set of individuals affected by the school shooting safety and preparedness policy.
- Since the act focuses on data collection and reporting around school shootings, it primarily impacts those directly involved in or concerned about school safety such as students, parents, school staff, and law enforcement.
- A significant portion of those affected are students and teachers, as changes may impact their daily routines and safety protocols.
- Parents are another major group with vested interests in their children's safety, thus being impacted by the findings and subsequent policy implementations.
- Additionally, school administrators would be directly engaging with the data collection processes, thus being directly impacted by the policy.
- Engagement of law enforcement, due to data collection on response times and effectiveness, also plays a key role and affects them.
- Given the budget of $20,000,000 USD in year 1 and $222,000,000 USD over 10 years, scalability and the implementation of detailed safety and data collection processes are considered in proportion to potential benefits.
Simulated Interviews
High School Student (New York, NY)
Age: 16 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I worry about school shootings and hope this policy provides real insights and changes.
- Data collection is fine, but it's ensuring that changes actually happen based on this data that concerns me.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 5 |
High School Teacher (Houston, TX)
Age: 45 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Having regular updates and data on school safety might finally push for some real safety changes.
- I am hopeful but skeptical; we need more than just reports.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 4 |
School Counselor (Chicago, IL)
Age: 38 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 8.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I see both the psychological impact of potential shootings on students and how data can help mitigate it.
- I'm relieved to have better resources to make students feel safer.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 6 |
Police Officer (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 52 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 6.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- From my position, more data helps us to prepare better and act faster.
- I'm supportive of the initiative but fear it might slow down our response plans initially.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 5 |
Parent (San Francisco, CA)
Age: 30 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 18/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm constantly worried about my kids' safety. Anything that improves that would be great.
- Hopefully, this policy isn't just more bureaucracy but tangible change.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 4 |
School Administrative Staff (Atlanta, GA)
Age: 29 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The more precise data we get, the better we can plan for emergencies.
- It'll create more work initially, but the payoff is worth it.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 6 |
High School Student (Boston, MA)
Age: 17 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Knowing that safety measures are reinforced by data makes me feel more secure, but it's not a miracle cure.
- I hope this draws more attention to proactive safety measures.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
Graduate Student in Education Policy (Seattle, WA)
Age: 25 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 7.0 years
Commonness: 11/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It's an essential beginning, especially if it influences future policies for safer schools.
- The challenge is translating data into effective action.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 6 |
College Student (Miami, FL)
Age: 22 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 13/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Anything improving security awareness in schools is positive.
- I think this policy could help tailor local safety programs.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 5 |
Principal (Denver, CO)
Age: 40 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Having comprehensive data is one step towards improving safety, but it's just a part of what we need to do.
- Long-term commitment will determine this policy's success.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 5 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $20000000 (Low: $15000000, High: $25000000)
Year 2: $20000000 (Low: $15000000, High: $25000000)
Year 3: $20000000 (Low: $15000000, High: $25000000)
Year 5: $22000000 (Low: $17000000, High: $27000000)
Year 10: $25000000 (Low: $20000000, High: $30000000)
Year 100: $25000000 (Low: $20000000, High: $30000000)
Key Considerations
- The scale and scope of data collection will critically depend on state and local cooperation, affecting implementation costs.
- Preventing or reducing the severity of school shootings through informed policies can significantly offset costs over time.
- Public perception and trust in government efforts to enhance school safety may influence the bill’s societal acceptance and effectiveness.