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House File 88 - IntroducedA Bill ForAn Act 1providing for the establishment of a school safety
2hotline, internet site, and mobile internet application, and
3providing penalties.
4BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 80.47 School safety hotline,
2internet site, and mobile internet application — penalty.
31. For purposes of this section, “threat to school safety”
4means a threat of harassment or bullying as defined in section
5280.28, suicide or self-harm, or violence against others.
62. The department shall establish a statewide, toll-free
7telephone hotline, internet site, and mobile internet
8application for the purpose of receiving reports from the
9public regarding threats or possible threats to school
10safety in this state. The hotline, internet site, and
11application shall include means for receiving anonymous
12reports that ensure that the identity of an individual making
13a report cannot be determined by the department or any other
14person. The department may consult the office of the chief
15information officer in the development of the internet site
16and application. The department shall refer all reports
17received through the hotline, internet site, and application
18to appropriate school and local law enforcement personnel
19and service providers. Such reports shall be confidential
20and shall not be a public record subject to disclosure under
21chapter 22.
223. The department shall advertise the hotline, internet
23site, and application through the use of public service
24announcements and other appropriate means. The department
25shall publicize the hotline, internet site, and application in
26all schools in this state through written materials and other
27appropriate means.
284. The department shall annually publish on the
29department’s internet site information on the disposition of
30each report received through the hotline, internet site, and
31application. Such publication shall not include personally
32identifying information of an individual who made a report or
33who was the subject of a report.
345. In consultation with behavioral health care providers,
35the department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to
-1-1establish and operate the hotline, internet site, and internet
2application. The rules shall include but are not limited to
3the following:
4a. Provisions that protect the identity of an individual
5reporting information without compromising opportunities
6for follow-up contact from school and local law enforcement
7personnel and service providers to provide further information
8to or obtain further information from the individual.
9b. Written policies and procedures for all of the following:
10(1) Logging reports received on the hotline, internet site,
11and internet application.
12(2) Verifying the authenticity and validity of a threat or
13possible threat to student safety.
14(3) Relaying information concerning a threat or possible
15threat to student safety to appropriate school and local law
16enforcement personnel and service providers.
17(4) Connecting the hotline with other hotlines that
18are available to receive reports of violence or for crisis
19prevention.
20(5) Tracking referrals to appropriate school and local
21law enforcement personnel and service providers resulting
22from information received on the hotline, internet site, and
23internet application and tracking the outcome of any action
24taken in response to the referral.
256. An individual who makes a report on the hotline, internet
26site, or internet application for a purpose other than to
27report a situation that the individual reasonably believes
28requires prompt action in order to preserve human life or
29property commits a simple misdemeanor.
30 Sec. 2. IMPLEMENTATION. The department shall not implement
31a telephone hotline, internet site, and mobile internet
32pursuant to section 80.47, as enacted by this Act, until the
33rules required by section 80.47, subsection 5, as enacted by
34this Act, have become effective.
35EXPLANATION
-2-1The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
2the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
3This bill requires the department of public safety to
4establish a statewide, toll-free telephone hotline, internet
5site, and mobile internet application for the purpose
6of receiving reports from the public regarding threats
7or possible threats to school safety in this state. The
8hotline, internet site, and application must include means
9for receiving anonymous reports that ensure that the identity
10of an individual making a report cannot be determined by the
11department or any other person. The department is required
12to refer all reports received through the hotline, internet
13site, and application to appropriate school and local law
14enforcement personnel and service providers. Such reports
15shall be confidential.
16The bill requires the department to advertise the hotline,
17internet site, and application through the use of public
18service announcements and other appropriate means and publicize
19the hotline, internet site, and application in all schools in
20this state through written materials and other appropriate
21means.
22The bill requires the department to annually publish on the
23department’s internet site information on the disposition of
24each report received through the hotline, internet site, and
25application. Such publication shall not include personally
26identifying information.
27The bill requires the department, in consultation with
28behavioral health care providers, to adopt rules to establish
29and operate the hotline, internet site, and internet
30application. The bill provides minimum required subjects for
31the rules. The bill prohibits the department from implementing
32a telephone hotline, internet site, and mobile internet until
33the rules have become effective.
34The bill provides that an individual who makes a report
35on the hotline, internet site, or internet application for a
-3-1purpose other than to report a situation that the individual
2reasonably believes requires prompt action in order to preserve
3human life or property commits a simple misdemeanor. A simple
4misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than 30
5days or a fine of at least $65 but not more than $625 or by
6both.
-4-je/jh
2hotline, internet site, and mobile internet application, and
3providing penalties.
4BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 80.47 School safety hotline,
2internet site, and mobile internet application — penalty.
31. For purposes of this section, “threat to school safety”
4means a threat of harassment or bullying as defined in section
5280.28, suicide or self-harm, or violence against others.
62. The department shall establish a statewide, toll-free
7telephone hotline, internet site, and mobile internet
8application for the purpose of receiving reports from the
9public regarding threats or possible threats to school
10safety in this state. The hotline, internet site, and
11application shall include means for receiving anonymous
12reports that ensure that the identity of an individual making
13a report cannot be determined by the department or any other
14person. The department may consult the office of the chief
15information officer in the development of the internet site
16and application. The department shall refer all reports
17received through the hotline, internet site, and application
18to appropriate school and local law enforcement personnel
19and service providers. Such reports shall be confidential
20and shall not be a public record subject to disclosure under
21chapter 22.
223. The department shall advertise the hotline, internet
23site, and application through the use of public service
24announcements and other appropriate means. The department
25shall publicize the hotline, internet site, and application in
26all schools in this state through written materials and other
27appropriate means.
284. The department shall annually publish on the
29department’s internet site information on the disposition of
30each report received through the hotline, internet site, and
31application. Such publication shall not include personally
32identifying information of an individual who made a report or
33who was the subject of a report.
345. In consultation with behavioral health care providers,
35the department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to
-1-1establish and operate the hotline, internet site, and internet
2application. The rules shall include but are not limited to
3the following:
4a. Provisions that protect the identity of an individual
5reporting information without compromising opportunities
6for follow-up contact from school and local law enforcement
7personnel and service providers to provide further information
8to or obtain further information from the individual.
9b. Written policies and procedures for all of the following:
10(1) Logging reports received on the hotline, internet site,
11and internet application.
12(2) Verifying the authenticity and validity of a threat or
13possible threat to student safety.
14(3) Relaying information concerning a threat or possible
15threat to student safety to appropriate school and local law
16enforcement personnel and service providers.
17(4) Connecting the hotline with other hotlines that
18are available to receive reports of violence or for crisis
19prevention.
20(5) Tracking referrals to appropriate school and local
21law enforcement personnel and service providers resulting
22from information received on the hotline, internet site, and
23internet application and tracking the outcome of any action
24taken in response to the referral.
256. An individual who makes a report on the hotline, internet
26site, or internet application for a purpose other than to
27report a situation that the individual reasonably believes
28requires prompt action in order to preserve human life or
29property commits a simple misdemeanor.
30 Sec. 2. IMPLEMENTATION. The department shall not implement
31a telephone hotline, internet site, and mobile internet
32pursuant to section 80.47, as enacted by this Act, until the
33rules required by section 80.47, subsection 5, as enacted by
34this Act, have become effective.
35EXPLANATION
-2-1The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
2the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
3This bill requires the department of public safety to
4establish a statewide, toll-free telephone hotline, internet
5site, and mobile internet application for the purpose
6of receiving reports from the public regarding threats
7or possible threats to school safety in this state. The
8hotline, internet site, and application must include means
9for receiving anonymous reports that ensure that the identity
10of an individual making a report cannot be determined by the
11department or any other person. The department is required
12to refer all reports received through the hotline, internet
13site, and application to appropriate school and local law
14enforcement personnel and service providers. Such reports
15shall be confidential.
16The bill requires the department to advertise the hotline,
17internet site, and application through the use of public
18service announcements and other appropriate means and publicize
19the hotline, internet site, and application in all schools in
20this state through written materials and other appropriate
21means.
22The bill requires the department to annually publish on the
23department’s internet site information on the disposition of
24each report received through the hotline, internet site, and
25application. Such publication shall not include personally
26identifying information.
27The bill requires the department, in consultation with
28behavioral health care providers, to adopt rules to establish
29and operate the hotline, internet site, and internet
30application. The bill provides minimum required subjects for
31the rules. The bill prohibits the department from implementing
32a telephone hotline, internet site, and mobile internet until
33the rules have become effective.
34The bill provides that an individual who makes a report
35on the hotline, internet site, or internet application for a
-3-1purpose other than to report a situation that the individual
2reasonably believes requires prompt action in order to preserve
3human life or property commits a simple misdemeanor. A simple
4misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than 30
5days or a fine of at least $65 but not more than $625 or by
6both.
-4-je/jh