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State officials outline School Security Act inspections, coordinators and mapping program
Summary
An assistant state superintendent told the State Board of Education the School Security Act requires periodic security inspections, district safety coordinators with mandated training, and a school-mapping program managed by ALIA; the legislature provided roughly $15 million for school safety this year.
The assistant state superintendent for support services told the Alabama State Board of Education that the School Security Act requires periodic security inspections of all public K–12 school facilities and a state-run school-mapping program.
The presenter said the law establishes a rubric the board must use to evaluate facilities and assigns color-coded ratings—green for acceptable, yellow for minor needs and red for serious needs—with inspection teams providing written recommendations to local boards and superintendents. "The official name of the act is the School Security Act," the assistant superintendent said, noting the department extracted language and snippets directly from the statute for district guidance.
The department described school-mapping requirements that the presenter said ALIA will host so emergency-service agencies can access maps and data without buying additional software. The presenter said mapping data must be printable and compatible with school security platforms and that no district may be required to purchase new software to view mapping data.
Districts must designate a district safety coordinator—an existing employee may be assigned the duties—who must review local emergency operations plans (EOPs) by Sept. 1 each year, collaborate with local boards on camera-data policies and complete required trainings. The presenter listed required training topics including EOP implementation, lockdowns, reunification, weather and sheltering, behavioral threat assessment and facility security, and said coordinators must attend at least four safety training sessions annually (no more than one vendor-based session).
On inspections and compliance, the department reported 45 school inspections completed in 2024 and 59 completed so far in 2025, with 235 schools on the compliance-monitoring schedule and about 25% of inspections finished. A board member said the legislature allocated about $15,000,000 this year for school safety; after set‑asides that equated to roughly $9 per pupil in distributed funds but with additional reserves held to address the most urgent needs identified by inspections.
Board members asked how districts should respond when they lack a designated school mental health coordinator. The presenter said the department would work case‑by‑case, recommending social workers or similar staff when a dedicated mental-health coordinator is not available and offering to assist districts in finding appropriate personnel.
The presenter said school inspectors should be nonbiased professionals with security experience—retired SROs, administrators or safety coordinators are typical—and that the department is recruiting and training inspection teams. The department also said the rubric and inspection criteria can be updated over time to reflect best practices.
The board did not take formal action during the presentation; presenters said the department would continue trainings and that districts would receive inspection reports and recommendations to share with their boards and superintendents.
