There is created in the Department of Education the Office of Safe Schools. The office is fully accountable to the Commissioner of Education. The office shall serve as a central repository for best practices, training Standard, and compliance oversight in all matters regarding school safety and security, including prevention efforts, intervention efforts, and emergency preparedness planning. The office shall:

(1) Establish and update as necessary a school security risk assessment tool for use by school districts pursuant to s. 1006.07(6). The office shall make the security risk assessment tool available for use by charter schools. The office shall provide annual training to appropriate school district and charter school personnel on the proper assessment of physical site security and completion of the school security risk assessment tool.

(5) Review and provide recommendations on the security risk assessments. The department may contract with security personnel, consulting engineers, architects, or other safety and security experts the department deems necessary for safety and security consultant services.

4. In collaboration with the appropriate public safety agencies, as that term is defined in s. 365.171, by October 1 of each year, conduct a school security risk assessment at each public school using the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool developed by the Office of Safe Schools pursuant to s. 1006.1493. Based on the assessment findings, the district’s school safety specialist shall provide recommendations to the district school superintendent and the district school board which identify strategies and activities that the district school board should implement in order to address the findings and improve school safety and security. Each district school board must receive such findings and the school safety specialist’s recommendations at a publicly noticed district school board meeting to provide the public an opportunity to hear the district school board members discuss and take action on the findings and recommendations. Each school safety specialist shall report such findings and school board action to the Office of Safe Schools within 30 days after the district school board meeting.

(1) The department, through the Office of Safe Schools pursuant s. 1001.212, shall contract with a security consulting firm that specializes in the development of risk assessment software solutions and has experience in conducting security assessments of public facilities to develop, update, and implement a risk assessment tool, which shall be known as the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool (FSSAT). The FSSAT must be the primary physical site security assessment tool as revised and required by the Office of Safe Schools which is used by school officials at each school district and public school site in the state in conducting security assessments. (2) The FSSAT must help school officials identify threats, vulnerabilities, and appropriate safety controls for the schools that they supervise, pursuant to the security risk assessment requirements of s. 1006.07(6). (a) At a minimum, the FSSAT must address all of the following components:

1. School emergency and crisis preparedness planning;
2. Security, crime, and violence prevention policies and procedures;
3. Physical security measures;
4. Professional development training needs;
5. An examination of support service roles in school safety, security, and emergency planning;
6. School security and school police staffing, operational practices, and related services;
7. School and community collaboration on school safety; and
8. A return on investment analysis of the recommended physical security controls. (b) The department shall require by contract that the security consulting firm:
9. Generate written automated reports on assessment findings for review by the department and school and district officials;
10. Provide training to the department and school officials in the use of the FSSAT and other areas of importance identified by the department;
11. Advise in the development and implementation of templates, formats, guidance, and other resources necessary to facilitate the implementation of this section at state, district, school, and local levels; and
12. Review recommendations of the School Hardening and Harm Mitigation Workgroup established under s. 1001.212(11) to address physical security measures identified by the FSSAT. (3) The Office of Safe Schools shall make the FSSAT available no later than May 1 of each year. The office must provide annual training to each district’s school safety specialist and other appropriate school district personnel on the assessment of physical site security and completing the FSSAT. (4) By December 1 of each year, the department shall report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the status of implementation across school districts and schools. The report must include a summary of the positive school safety measures in place at the time of the assessment and any recommendations for policy changes or funding needed to facilitate continued school safety planning, improvement, and response at the state, district, or school levels.

(15) Safe schools allocation. — A safe schools allocation is created to provide funding to assist school districts in their compliance with ss. 1006.07-1006.12, with priority given to safe-school officers pursuant to s. 1006.12. Each school district shall receive a minimum safe schools allocation in an amount provided in the General Appropriations Act. Of the remaining balance of the safe schools allocation, one-third shall be allocated to school districts based on the most recent official Florida Crime Index provided by the Department of Law Enforcement and two-thirds shall be allocated based on each school district’s proportionate share of the state’s total unweighted full-time equivalent student enrollment. Each school district must report to the Department of Education by October 15 that all public schools within the school district have completed the school security risk assessment using the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool developed pursuant to s. 1006.1493. If a district school board is required by s. 1006.12 to assign a school resource officer or school safety officer to a charter school, the charter school’s share of costs for such officer may not exceed the amount of funds allocated to the charter school under this subsection.