Amends TCA Title 49.

This bill requires the department of education (the "department") to award school safety grants to LEAs, public charter schools, private schools, and church-related schools for the purchase of a wearable emergency alert system for teachers and substitute teachers employed by the school or school system. GRANTS This bill provides that each grant awarded by the department must provide the receiving school or school system up to $300 for each emergency device unit purchased by the school or school system for each teacher employed by the school or school system, and for five additional emergency device units for substitute teachers employed by the school or school system. However, this bill prohibits the department from awarding a grant to an individual school that exceeds $50,000, and to a school system that exceeds $50,000 for each public school that is managed and controlled by the school system's local board of education. FUNDING This bill requires the department to award grants using funds appropriated to the department for the issuance of school safety grants, including any funds available to the department from appropriations made to the department on or before July 1, 2023, for school safety grants. DEVICE REQUIREMENTS In order to receive grant funds, this bill requires the school or school system to contract with a vendor for the provision of compact emergency devices that may be worn by the school's or school system's teachers and substitute teachers on a lanyard worn around the teacher's or substitute teacher's neck that: (1) Are each individually programmed to identify only the teacher or substitute teacher to whom it is assigned and who is required to wear the device at all times while performing the duties of their position on the grounds of the school at which the teacher or substitute teacher is assigned; (2) Are equipped with certain GPS, audio transmitting and recording, and video transmitting and recording capabilities as detailed in the bill; and (3) Each contain three color-coded emergency buttons that are easily identifiable and activated in emergency situations as further detailed in the bill. VENDOR LIST This bill requires the department to develop and maintain a list of vendors that provide emergency devices that meet the minimum requirements of this bill. However, LEAs, public charter schools, private schools, and church-related schools must contract with a vendor approved by the department. This bill prohibits the department from approving a vendor if the vendor manufactures all or part of an emergency device that meets the requirements of this bill in a country other than the United States. However, the attorney general and reporter may approve, upon the department's request, a vendor that manufactures all or part of an emergency device in a country other than the United States for inclusion on the department's approved list of vendors if the following conditions are met: (1) The emergency device provided by the vendor meets the requirements of this bill; and (2) The attorney general and reporter determines that allowing the vendor to contract with an LEA, public charter school, private school, or church-related school for the vendor to provide emergency devices for purposes of this bill poses no safety risk or security threat to this state, a political subdivision of this state, or the contracting LEA or school. ANNUAL STUDY AND REPORT This bill requires the department to annually study and collect data regarding: (1) The number and amount of grants awarded; (2) The number and types of emergencies reported by teachers and substitute teachers through a wearable emergency device, disaggregated by school and type of emergency; (3) Whether emergency reporting through emergency devices worn by teachers and substitute teachers improved the response time for school administration, law enforcement, or emergency medical services and whether the improved response time, if any, affected the outcome of the emergency situation; (4) Whether the presence of an emergency device worn by teachers and substitute teachers in the classroom affected the number of classroom or student disciplinary issues reported by teachers; and (5) Feedback from teachers and substitute teachers who were required to wear an emergency device while performing the duties of their position. This bill requires the department to report the results of the study and data collected to the education committees of the senate and house of representatives no later than July 1, 2025, and by each July 1 thereafter. The department must include in the report any legislative recommendations regarding wearable emergency devices for teachers and substitute teachers. PRIVACY PROTECTIONS This bill provides that any disclosure made pursuant to this bill must comply with relevant state and federal privacy laws. REPEAL OF BILL This bill provides that it is repealed on July 1, 2027.