Provides for the establishment of the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools within the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice (EG +$250,000 GF EX See Note)

House Bill 821 establishes the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools within the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice by enacting Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:1216 and repealing three sections of Title 29 that previously housed school security functions. The center assumes administrative responsibility for school and nonprofit security programs and gains authority to identify and prioritize resources for school safety, collect and disseminate information on safety vulnerabilities and best practices, develop a comprehensive statewide school safety framework in consultation with the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, assist schools with crisis management and emergency response plans, coordinate with the Department of Education on safety resources, provide training on emergency operations planning and threat assessment, facilitate information sharing among schools and agencies, administer threat assessment and violence prevention systems, and establish emergency notification and anonymous reporting systems. The center may acquire systems and platforms, enter cooperative and intergovernmental agreements, apply for state and federal funding, utilize existing statewide contracts for procurements, and adopt written policies on data management and confidentiality while respecting applicable public records exemptions for security-sensitive information.

The practical effect reorganizes school security oversight from the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to the law enforcement commission, shifting operational responsibility to a criminal justice agency. Schools, school districts, nonprofit organizations, and state agencies including the Department of Education, Department of Health, and Department of Children and Family Services will interact with the center as the central point for school safety resources, training, frameworks, and coordination. School resource officers and other security personnel assigned to schools will access training and professional development opportunities through the center. The bill creates a School and Nonprofit Security Advisory Council composed of representatives from law enforcement, education, health services, child welfare, the legislature, and community organizations that will review safety frameworks, make funding recommendations, and issue annual reports but lacks independent contracting or rulemaking authority, ensuring the center retains implementation control.

The bill operates within Louisiana's constitutional framework, preserving the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's constitutional authority over public schools while lodging operational school safety administration in the criminal justice system under Title 15. It maintains the continuity of the prior Louisiana Commission on School and Nonprofit Security by designating the new advisory council as its successor entity, transferring all powers, duties, functions, records, and pending matters from the former commission. The center's data governance duties align with Louisiana public records law and federal privacy requirements, with specific exemptions preserved for school security plans and critical incident data. The bill coordinates the center's work with the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness on emergency response planning and critical incident mapping, establishing an interagency relationship within the existing state emergency management structure.