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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
safety; school procedures; criminal classification
Purpose
Requires each school district governing board (governing board) to adopt a public school safety policy that meets outlined requirements, including requirements on a school district superintendent to notify parents, employees and law enforcement officers (LEOs) of any incident involving life-threatening violence as specified. Requires each school district to annually post a public safety report that includes outlined information and data relating to the number of incidents that occurred in the three immediately preceding school years. Determines that a school district superintendent and each governing board member who violates the prescribed public safety policy requirements is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor. Designates this legislation as Michael's Law.
Background
Each governing board and charter school governing body (governing body) must prescribe and enforce policies and procedures for school personnel to report: 1) any suspected crime against a person or property that is a serious offense or involves a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument or serious physical injury; and 2) any conduct that poses a threat of death or serious physical injury to an employee, student or other person on the school property. The policies must prescribe a process for employees to document and report the conduct, including specifying the employees responsible for making a report to the local law enforcement agency (LEA). Each governing board and governing body must also prescribe and enforce policies and procedures that require the school district or charter school to notify the parent or guardian of each student who is involved in a suspected crime or other outlined conduct, subject to the requirements of federal law. A person who violates the outlined reporting requirements may be disciplined for violating the governing board's or governing body's policies and may be subject to dismissal (A.R.S. § 15-153).
Each governing board must prescribe and enforce policies and procedures that prohibit a person from carrying or possessing a weapon on school grounds unless the person is a peace officer or has obtained specific authorization from the school administrator (A.R.S. § 15-341).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires each governing board to adopt a public safety policy that:
a) clearly prescribes public safety procedures and protocols;
b) designates the school district superintendent as the administrator who is responsible for implementing the public safety policy; and
c) requires the school district superintendent to:
i. provide written notification to students' parents and school employees within 24 hours of any incident involving life-threatening violence, a threat of life-threatening violence or a threat of violence involving a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument that occurs in connection with the school district;
ii. immediately notify a LEO if the school district superintendent is notified of, or personally observes, an incident involving life-threatening violence, a threat of life-threatening violence or a threat of violence involving a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument;
iii. confiscate, or designate one or more school administrators at each campus who are responsible for confiscating, any dangerous instrument or deadly weapon that is possessed by any person on school property in violation of school policies or that is used in connection with an incident as prescribed until a LEO is able to take custody of the dangerous instrument or deadly weapon; and
iv. notify a LEO that the school district superintendent confiscated a dangerous instrument or a deadly weapon as soon as practicable following the confiscation.
2. Specifies that a school district superintendent's written notification must include information about the nature of the incident and the school's response.
3. Specifies that the school districts superintendent's written notification requirements do not require or authorize the school district superintendent to disclose personally identifiable information about a student who is involved in an incident.
4. Stipulates that, if a LEO who responds to an incident notifies the school district that disclosure might materially compromise a pending criminal investigation or prosecution, the school district superintendent must:
a) request from the LEA that is responsible for the criminal investigation a written request that the school district delay disclosure; and
b) provide the prescribed written notification to students' parents and school employees as soon as practicable on receipt of notification that the investigation is complete.
5. Specifies that the requirement to notify a LEO of an incident involving life-threatening violence does not limit or preclude a school district or a school district employee from reporting a suspected crime that is a serious offense or involves a deadly weapon, dangerous instrument or serious physical injury or of any conduct that poses a threat of death or serious physical injury as required by statute or school district policies.
6. Prohibits a school district from taking any retaliatory action against an employee, student's parent, student, state agent or any other person for reporting a violation of the public safety policy requirements.
7. Requires each school district to annually compile and post a public safety report on the school district's website that includes:
a) the number of lockdowns, shelter-in-place events and evacuations that occurred during each of the three immediately preceding school years;
b) the number of incidents involving a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument that occurred in connection with the school district during each of the three immediately preceding school years;
c) the number of incidents that the school district superintendent referred to a LEO during each of the three immediately preceding school years; and
d) a summary of the school district's adopted public safety policy and a description of the public safety policy's implementation.
8. Determines that a school district superintendent who knowingly or intentionally violates the prescribed public safety policy requirements without good cause is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor.
9. Determines that, if a governing board fails to adopt a public safety policy that meets the prescribed requirements or if the governing board or any school district employee violates the prescribed requirements, each governing board member is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor.
10. Allows a governing board to satisfy the prescribed public safety policy requirements by adopting an emergency response plan that includes the prescribed public safety policy requirements.
11. Specifies that a school district is not required to include information in the annual public safety report from any school year that begins before the general effective date.
12. Defines dangerous instrument and deadly weapon.
13. Contains a statement of legislative findings.
14. Designates this legislation as Michael's Law.
15. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
ED 2/17/26 DP 7-4-0-1
3rd Read 3/11/26 35-17-7-0-1
Prepared by Senate Research
March 23, 2026
MH/KP/hk