School Safety Task Force
School Safety Task Force Final Report
This report is a product of Arizona's first-ever statewide School Safety Task Force — a multi-disciplinary group convened to reframe school safety as a multi-pronged approach to safety, health, and violence. This report covers the work of the Task Force's five objectives (referenced below) and includes resources and details about the process of the Task Force's work.
Legislative Recommendations
The School Safety Task Force Final Report outlines legislative recommendations to be considered in the 2021 Legislative Session, including:
- Provide sustainable funding for the ADE to provide ongoing training on the determinants of the model school safety plan.
- Repeal legislation prohibiting the statewide collection of school disciplinary data.
- Provide sustainable funding for the ADE for a full-time position to establish a vetting process for resources and to create and keep current a clearinghouse of resources on its website.
- Provide sustainable funding to create and implement a statewide tip line for public and charter schools.
Task Force Membership & Objectives
Per the original language in HB2597, The Task Force had five objectives.
- Identify a unifying, research-based approach to school safety
- Create a model school safety plan for use by schools and districts
- Develop a clearinghouse of resources
- Research the value and impact of a tip line and additional evidence-based, best practices for the State
- Create an outline of recommended legislative changes
The Task Force's members came from a variety of industries and backgrounds representing the diverse stakeholders from across the state. See a full list of members below.
Courtney Acosta, Arizona Department of Education
Isaac Akapnitis, Arizona Department of Education
Joshua Ashton, March for Our Lives AZ
Rebecca Astorga, Arizona Department of Education
Dr. Kris Bosworth, College of Education, University of Arizona
John Carruth, Vail Unified School District
Andrew Chavez, Carl Hayden High School
Emma Chavez, Arizona Department of Education
Arcy Cornidez, National Alliance on Mental Illness/Southern AZ Chapter
Officer Stephen Dieu, Chandler Police Department and Mesa Public Schools
Kell Donley Williams, AHCCCS State Suicide Prevention Specialist
Jordan Harb, March for Our Lives AZ
Tammy Hille, Tucson Unified School District
Dr. Sarah Lindstrom Johnson, Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University
Julie Kent-Partridge, Washington Elementary School District
Chris Kotterman, Arizona School Boards Association
Callie Kozlak, Arizona Department of Education
Carol Landauer, Mental Health Coalition of Verde Valley
Jim Lee, Arizona Department of Education
Stephen Leonard, Washington High School/Glendale Union High School District
Yesmina Luchsinger, Arizona Department of Education
Yasmin Lynch, Arizona Department of Education
Jacob Martinez, March for Our Lives AZ
David Martinez III, Vitalyst Health Foundation
Linda Mason, Arizona Department of Education
Erica Maxwell, Arizona Department of Education
Sophia Mayberry, Arizona Department of Education
Linda McCollum, Pima County Attorney’s Office
Richard Moore, Academy of Tucson High School
Celeste Nameth, Arizona Department of Education
Jose Patino, Aliento AZ
Larry Ross, HOPE College and Career Readiness Academy
Emma Rowland, March for Our Lives AZ
Keri Schoeff, Arizona Department of Education
Chief Steve Stahl, City of Maricopa
Dr. Jessica J. Summers, College of Education, University of Arizona
Reid Swan, Flagstaff Unified School District
Yating Tang, Arizona Department of Education
Skyler Tuholsky-Froke, Gay and Lesbian Student Education Network AZ
Jeanette Velasquez, Pima County Superintendent’s Office
Jenny Walker, PhD, Arizona Department of Education
Janelle Wood, Black Mothers Forum, Inc.
Maya Zuckerberg, March for Our Lives AZ
Background
The School Safety Task Force was brought together in October 2019 after a bill was sponsored in the state legislature to establish a task force within the Arizona Department of Education. Despite the efforts of students involved with the Arizona chapter of March for Our Lives to pass House Bill 2597 in the 2019 legislature, the bill failed to pass. However, lack of legislative action did not end the students’ vision for school safety. Instead, Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman partnered with March for Our Lives to create the first-ever statewide School Safety Task Force; a multi-disciplinary group convened to reframe school safety as a multi-pronged approach to safety, health and violence.
