ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
schools; reporting
of crimes
Changes reporting requirements for suspected crimes of violence and allows a school district to release educational records to a law enforcement agency and a county attorney.
Current law requires school district governing boards to report to local law enforcement agencies any suspected crimes and incidents that could potentially threaten the safety or security of pupils, teachers or administrators.
School district governing boards are required to release to the Department of Juvenile Corrections all educational records relating to a pupil who is awarded to the Department of Juvenile Corrections if such a request is received. Additionally, a juvenile court may require a school district to provide the juvenile court with the educational records of a juvenile who is accused of committing a delinquent or incorrigible act before the juvenile is adjudicated (A.R.S. Section 15-341). H.B. 2421 allows a school district to release educational records to specified law enforcement entities and makes a change to the school district governing board’s requirement to report incidents of violence.
There is no discernible fiscal impact to the state general fund associated with this bill.
1. Allows a school district to release pupil attendance, disciplinary and other educational records to a law enforcement agency and a county attorney pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement between specified entities.
2. Establishes a juvenile justice network of intergovernmental entities to provide the following:
a) Programs and services to intervene with juveniles in the juvenile justice system.
b) Programs and services to deter at-risk juveniles from dropping out of school or other delinquent behavior.
c) Increased community safety by reducing juvenile crime.
3. Requires the education records to be used only for the purposes of the intergovernmental agreements and prohibits disclosure of the records to other parties, except as provided under state law.
4. Changes the school district governing board requirement to report suspected crimes of violence to local law enforcement agencies.
5. Contains technical and clarifying changes.
6. Provides for a general effective date.
ED 01/28/02 DP 9-0-0-1-0
RGO 02/12/02 DP 8-0-0-2-0
3rd Read 04/09/02 53-0-7-0
Prepared by Senate Staff
April 16, 2002