Bill Text: NJ A404 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires nonpublic school buildings to be equipped with emergency light and panic alarm linked to local law enforcement.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-11 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A404 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-A404-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RALPH R. CAPUTO
District 28 (Essex)
Assemblyman THOMAS P. GIBLIN
District 34 (Essex and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Tucker, Jasey and Assemblyman Benson
SYNOPSIS
Requires nonpublic school buildings to be equipped with emergency light and panic alarm linked to local law enforcement.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning nonpublic school security alarms and supplementing chapter 41 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
"Emergency light" means a red light that is affixed to the exterior of a school building in a highly visible location above or near the front entrance or, in the case of a school building which is not clearly visible from the nearest public roadway, located on that public roadway.
"Panic alarm" means a silent security system signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a life-threatening or emergency situation requiring a response from law enforcement.
b. Each nonpublic elementary and secondary school building within this State shall be equipped with at least one panic alarm for use in a school security emergency including, but not limited to, a non-fire evacuation, lockdown, or active shooter situation. The alarm shall be directly linked to local law enforcement authorities or, in the case of a nonpublic school building located in a municipality in which there is no municipal police department, a location designated by the Superintendent of State Police, and shall immediately transmit a signal or message to such authorities upon activation. The alarm shall not be audible within the school building.
c. Each nonpublic elementary and secondary school building within this State shall be equipped with an emergency light that is linked to the school's panic alarm and which turns on when the panic alarm is activated.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the tenth month after enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires that all nonpublic elementary and secondary schools in this State be equipped with a panic alarm for use in a school security emergency including, but not limited to, a non-fire evacuation, lockdown, or active shooter situation. The panic alarm, which will not be audible within the school building, must be directly linked to law enforcement authorities and must immediately transmit a signal or message to the authorities upon activation. The bill defines "panic alarm" as a silent security system signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a life-threatening or emergency situation that requires a response from law enforcement.
The bill also requires that all nonpublic elementary and secondary schools be equipped with a red emergency light that is affixed to the exterior of the school building in a highly visible location above or near the front entrance or, if the school building is not visible from the nearest public roadway, then on that roadway. The emergency light must be linked to the school's panic alarm so that it turns on when the panic alarm is activated.
