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<section article="ged" article_name="Education" number="7-1512" title_number="7" title_name="Public Schools" subtitle_number="15" subtitle_name="Maryland Safe to Learn Act">
  <level label="a">
    <text>There is a Safe Schools Fund.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The purpose of the Fund is to provide grants to local school systems to enhance school safety.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>The Subcabinet shall administer the Fund.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Fund is a special, nonlapsing fund that is not subject to § 7–302 of the State Finance and Procurement Article.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The Treasurer shall hold the Fund separately and the Comptroller shall account for the Fund in conjunction with the Executive Director of the Center.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>The Fund consists of:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Money credited to the Fund under § 17–106(e) of the Transportation Article;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Money appropriated in the State budget to the Fund;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Money from any other source accepted for the benefit of the Fund; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Any interest earnings of the Fund.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>Except as provided in subsection (g) of this section, the Fund may be used only to provide grants to local school systems to enhance school safety, including:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Conducting training for students and school personnel on de–escalation of situations and identifying and reporting behaviors of concern;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Conducting training of assessment teams;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Conducting school safety evaluations;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Establishing formal and anonymous mechanisms for reporting safety concerns;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>Reimbursing local law enforcement agencies for school resource officer training provided by the Center;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>Enrolling school security employees in training provided by the Center;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>Developing plans to deliver school–based behavioral health and other wraparound services to students who exhibit behaviors of concern, including establishing systems to maximize external funding for services;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="8">
      <text>Outreach to the broader school community to improve school safety, including to heighten awareness of existing mental health services and other services;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="9">
      <text>Providing information to students and parents on traveling safely to and from school, including data related to bus and pedestrian safety, strategies for ensuring personal safety, efforts of the local school system to improve safety, and information on available options for reporting incidents and concerns; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="10">
      <text>Assisting local school systems to improve and monitor traffic control measures in the immediate vicinity of schools to reduce the potential for pedestrian and vehicle accidents.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <text>The Subcabinet may use the Fund to provide funding to local school systems in accordance with § 7–1510.1 of this subtitle.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Subcabinet may make grants to local school systems and local law enforcement agencies from the Fund.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The Subcabinet shall establish procedures for local school systems and local law enforcement agencies to apply for grants from the Fund.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="i">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The State Treasurer shall invest the money of the Fund in the same manner as other State money may be invested.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Any interest earnings of the Fund shall be credited to the Fund.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="j">
    <text>Expenditures from the Fund may only be made:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>In accordance with the State budget; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>By the budget amendment procedure as provided in § 7–209 of the State Finance and Procurement Article, if at least 45 days have passed since the budget amendment and supporting information were submitted to the budget committees for their review and comment.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="k">
    <text>Money expended from the Fund by local school systems to enhance school safety is supplemental to and is not intended to take the place of funding that otherwise would be appropriated to local school systems.</text>
  </level>
</section>
