Bill Text: NJ A3348 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires certain school security measures to be incorporated in architectural design of new school construction and certain school security measures for existing buildings.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-2)
Status: (Passed) 2016-12-05 - Approved P.L.2016, c.79. [A3348 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-A3348-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.
District 18 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires certain school security measures to be incorporated in architectural design of new school construction and certain school security measures for existing buildings.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning public school facilities and supplementing P.L.2000, c.72 (C.18A:7G-1 et al.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. In the case of new school construction undertaken by a district or the development authority, in addition to the Best Practices Standards for Schools under Construction or Being Planned for Construction set forth by the Department of Community Affairs, the district or the development authority, as applicable, shall provide in the architectural design for the new construction that:
(1) wherever possible, a building site shall be chosen with adequate space to accommodate bus and vehicular traffic separately and permit additional space for the proper evacuation of occupants;
(2) wherever possible, bus drop-off/pick-up areas shall be separated from other vehicular drop-off/pick-up areas;
(3) wherever possible, pedestrian routes shall be separated from vehicular routes, and crossing of the two shall be minimized;
(4) the number of anterior doors shall be kept to a minimum as necessary to satisfy operational considerations and meet code requirements, and wherever possible exterior door hardware shall be eliminated from doors that are intended only for emergency egress;
(5) there is a single public entrance to be used during the school day which shall be equipped with a security vestibule with interior doors that must be released by school security or other staff. The district or development authority shall give consideration to providing bullet resistant glazing in the interior vestibule doors and windows;
(6) all marked entrances shall conform to a uniform numbering system in order to assist emergency responders in locating particular areas. The principal's office shall have a secondary exit;
(7) interior door locks on spaces that will serve as safe havens during lockdowns shall have a keyless locking mechanism;
(8) new school buildings shall be provided with access control systems which allow for remote locking and unlocking of all building access doors; and
(9) new school buildings shall be designed and built in such a manner that areas intended for public use may be separated and secured from all other areas.
b. In the case of new school construction undertaken by a district or the development authority, and in the case of existing school buildings, a district or the development authority, as applicable, shall:
(1) employ the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design principles;
(2) require security personnel to be in uniform;
(3) make driveways one way, if possible, that lead to a clearly marked visitor parking area. STOP signs and other traffic calming devices shall be used to keep vehicles at a reasonable speed;
(4) place bollards along the roadway or curb line in front of the school to prevent vehicles from gaining access to exterior walls, windows, and doors, or in areas of the property where vehicles are prohibited;
(5) clearly mark the school's main entrance and make it easily visible and recognizable;
(6) limit the number of doors for access by staff;
(7) lock exterior doors, and when they are in use for a large entry/exit provide that they are staffed and monitored;
(8) utilize an access control system with remote unlocking features, an intercom, and fixed cameras at the school's main entrance and for other entrances as funding permits;
(9) clearly mark all entrances with a numerical sequence to allow for specific response by police, fire, and emergency medical services responders;
(10) maintain a parking decal or tag system for all staff and students who park on campus in order to easily identify unauthorized vehicles on the property;
(11) locate enclosures for utilities that are outside a school building away from the building to ensure that they do not provide roof access;
(12) provide adequate and properly maintained lighting around the buildings and parking lots;
(13) if funding, staffing, and site approval are possible, provide a guard shack and gate on the school campus as an effective perimeter control;
(14) where the footprint of the school allows, and if funding is available, create secure vestibules at the main entrance of the school building. The exterior door entrance to the school shall allow access by a visitor only to the vestibule and the doors to the remainder of the building shall be locked;
(15) adopt school district policies and procedures to clearly indicate that propping open doors is strictly prohibited, and that students and staff shall not open a door for anyone. All persons seeking entry to the building shall be directed to the main entrance;
(16) use surveillance cameras as a target-hardening tool;
(17) provide a dedicated server and generator for security systems, such as access control and surveillance cameras, in order to secure information and ensure efficient operation in an emergency;
(18) use ballistic or shatter resistant film for glass entrance door sidelights and other vulnerable first floor areas; and
(19) maintain a strict key distribution protocol that requires staff to sign for keys and return them at the end of each school year.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill implements recommendation #11, architectural design for new construction, and recommendation #12, hardening school perimeters and building entryways, of the July 2015 report of the New Jersey School Security Task Force.
Recommendation #11 of the report outlines items that should be considered in the architectural design for the construction of new school buildings. These items include, among others, marked school entrances with a uniform numbering system, keyless locking mechanisms, access control systems which allow for remote locking and unlocking, sufficient space for evacuation in the event of an emergency, and areas in the school building intended for public use separated and secure from all other areas.
Recommendation #12 of the report outlines items in regard to the hardening of school perimeters and building entryways. In addition to employing Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles, this recommendation includes, among others, items such as a requirement that school security personnel be in uniform, the number of doors for access by school staff should be limited, exterior doors should remain locked, secure vestibules at the school's main entrance should be created, and surveillance cameras should be used as a target-hardening tool.
The task force found that in prior decades very few schools were built with security issues in mind. However, as the number of acts of violence in the nation's schools has increased, considerable attention has been given to the issue of school safety and security. The task force determined that "school renovations and new construction must strike a balance between providing a welcoming educational environment and a safe environment in which students can learn and teachers can teach. Well-reasoned school design will encourage proper security measures to be employed by school districts and save the cost of retrofitting buildings." By enacting these task force recommendations, this bill seeks to strike that balance.
