1006.601 Active Response and Mitigation of On-Campus Risks (ARMOR) Act.—
(1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the “Active Response and Mitigation of On-Campus Risks (ARMOR) Act.”
(2) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term “public postsecondary educational institution” has the same meaning as in s. 1000.04(3).
(3) SCHOOL GUARDIANS.—
(a) Public postsecondary educational institutions are authorized to participate in the Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, and Coach Scott Beigel Guardian Program and may appoint certified school guardians pursuant to s. 30.15(1)(k).
(b) An employee or faculty member, who is not a student, of a public postsecondary educational institution may serve as a school guardian, in support of school-sanctioned activities for purposes of s. 790.115, upon satisfactory completion of the requirements under s. 30.15(1)(k) and certification by a sheriff.
(4) SAFETY AND SECURITY BEST PRACTICES.—
(a) Response plans.—Each public postsecondary educational institution shall:
1. Adopt an active assailant response plan, which shall include methods for issuing emergency notifications pursuant to 20 U.S.C. s. 1092(f), and annually certify that all faculty, staff, and students have completed active assailant preparedness training. The plan must clearly identify all personnel who may issue such emergency notifications.
2. Adopt, in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies and local government, a family reunification plan to reunite students and employees with their families in the event that an institution is closed or unexpectedly evacuated due to a natural or manmade disaster. This reunification plan must be reviewed annually and updated as necessary.
(b) Student mental health.—Each public postsecondary educational institution shall:
1. Train faculty to detect and respond to mental health issues as well as connect students who may experience behavioral health issues with appropriate services, both on campus and in the community, including crisis intervention.
2. Post on its website and in conspicuous locations at each institution a mental health awareness and suicide prevention sign that identifies ways a person can access help and services. Physical signs must be at least 11 inches by 15 inches in size and must be printed in an easily legible font and in at least 32-point type.
3. Establish threat management teams whose duties include the coordination of resources and assessment and intervention with students whose behavior may pose a threat to the safety of the institution, institution staff, or students. The threat management team must use the statewide behavioral threat management operational process and Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment instrument developed by the Office of Safe Schools pursuant to s. 1001.212(11) or another comparable tool deemed appropriate for postsecondary institutions by the State Board of Education and Board of Governors.
The Commissioner of Education and the Chancellor of the State University System shall provide guidance on when and how administrators, mental health providers, and other appropriate personnel are legally entitled to share and receive information about individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others, including, but not limited to, the transmission of education records pursuant to s. 1003.25(4).
(c) Security risk assessment.—Each public postsecondary educational institution, in collaboration with appropriate public safety agencies, as defined in s. 365.171(3)(d), shall annually conduct a security risk assessment at each campus using the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool developed by the Office of Safe Schools pursuant to s. 1006.1493 or another comparable tool deemed appropriate for postsecondary institutions by the State Board of Education and Board of Governors. Subject to an appropriation, the institution may apply for grant funds for security improvements to its campus based on findings in the security risk assessment.
(d) Student, faculty, and staff supports.—Each public postsecondary educational institution must adopt policies and procedures to support students, faculty, and staff who are the victims of an incident constituting an act of violence or an attempted act of violence or who are subjected to a credible threat as defined in s. 784.048(1)(c). The policies shall:
1. Outline the supports available to affected persons, which may include work or class relocation, security escorts, and restricting access to certain areas by individuals who created the incident.
2. Provide for timely updates to an affected person regarding any action taken by the institution in response to the incident.
(5) RULES AND REGULATIONS.—The State Board of Education and the Board of Governors may adopt rules and regulations, respectively, to implement this section.
