Summary — HB 989: Build Safer Communities and Schools Act
Status: Introduced Apr. 14, 2025; Passed 1st Reading
Primary sponsors: Reps. Clark, Logan, F. Jackson, Budd (North Carolina)
Bill reference: adds Section 143B‑1209.61 to Article 13A, Chapter 143B (Center for Safer Schools)
Purpose
- Create and codify a School Safety Grants Program to improve safety in public school units by funding: (1) services for students in crisis, (2) school safety training, and (3) safety equipment and associated training.
Key provisions
- Establishment and administration
- The Executive Director of the Center for Safer Schools will establish and administer the School Safety Grants Program (the “Program”).
- Grants are to be awarded “to the extent funds are made available.” The bill contemplates using funds appropriated to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI); awards are made in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
- The Executive Director will develop application criteria, guidelines, and documentation requirements and prioritize applicants based on resource need, prior grants, and expected impact on student safety.
- Grant applications must include an assessment of safety needs performed in conjunction with local law enforcement.
Grants for students in crisis (services)
- Eligible uses include crisis respite for families, expanded services and training for therapeutic foster care families and licensed child placement agencies for students with cognitive/behavioral/developmental/aggressive needs, evidence‑based therapies (e.g., Parent‑Child Interaction Therapy, Trauma‑Focused CBT, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Child‑Parent Psychotherapy), peer mentoring, and other crisis supports.
- Limit: the Executive Director may use up to $350,000 per fiscal year of funds appropriated to SBI for these crisis services.
Grants for training
- Funds may support targeted, evidence-based training to help students and staff respond to trauma and stress. Examples: CALM suicide-prevention training, clinical treatment training for school health personnel, community resilience training for students and staff, and MATCH‑ADTC training components.
- Limit: up to $350,000 per fiscal year of SBI‑appropriated funds for these trainings.
Grants for safety equipment
- Grants may be awarded to purchase safety equipment for school buildings and pay for related training.
- Charter schools are explicitly eligible for equipment grants (overrides a referenced statutory limitation).
- Prioritized equipment includes: exterior doors with push bars; vehicle barriers; monitored security systems for entrances/exits/hallways; campus-wide active-shooter alarm systems separated from fire alarms; two-way radio systems; perimeter fencing; bullet‑resistant glass/film for entrances; door‑locking systems.
Administrative rules and limits
- Grants must supplement, not supplant, existing State or non‑State funding.
- Of funds appropriated to SBI for the section, the Executive Director may retain up to $100,000 per fiscal year for administrative costs.
- The statute codifies the Program; actual awards depend on appropriation.
Who is affected
- Public school units (local school systems) and charter schools (for equipment grants)
- Students in crisis and their families, school health support personnel (nurses, counselors, psychologists, social workers)
- Community partners, including nonprofits and local management entities/managed care organizations (LME/MCOs), that contract with school units to deliver services
- Local law enforcement (for needs assessments)
Procedural / timeline notes
- The bill adds § 143B‑1209.61 and directs the Center for Safer Schools to set criteria and administer grants once funds are appropriated.
- The measure requires consultations with DHHS and local law enforcement for certain grant elements.
- No specific appropriation is included in the bill text; program activity depends on future appropriations to SBI or other designated funding.
Potential impact
- If funded, the program would expand access to crisis interventions, evidence‑based therapeutic services and targeted staff training, and fund physical safety upgrades prioritized by need.
- Fiscal effect depends entirely on appropriations; statutory caps ($350,000 per fiscal year for each of two grant categories; $100,000 admin cap) suggest an initially modest funded scale unless higher appropriations are later provided.
