Committee of the Whole Public Hearing

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 CHAIRMAN PHIL MENDELSON COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING on School Safety, Bill 25-234, “School Safety Enhancement Amendment Act of 2023, and Bill 25-420, “Conflict Resolution Education Amendment Act of 2023 on Thursday, January 11, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. Hearing Room 412 (Track B) John A. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW DC Council Website (www.dccouncil.gov) Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announces a public hearing of the Committee of the Whole on the topic of School Safety, Bill 25-234, School Safety Enhancement Amendment Act of 2023, and Bill 25-420, Conflict Resolution Education Amendment Act of 2023. The hearing will be held on Thursday, January 11, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. The stated purpose of Bill 25-234 is to require OSSE to create guidelines that would be used to review and enhance District school safety plans, establish a school safety team at every school in the District, and to establish procedures for school safety teams to coordinate with MPD. The bill would also require the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice and the Deputy Mayor for Education to create a system for emergency response agencies to share critical information about ongoing safety incidents with schools and child development centers. The stated purpose of Bill 25-420 is to require OSSE to develop a model curriculum to develop students’ conflict resolution skills in accordance with the health education standards and to require LEAs to adopt the model curriculum or an alternative conflict resolution education program. Overall, the issue of school safety is particularly salient in the District and the Committee wants to hear from students, parents, community members, and advocates about ways to ensure the safety of all students in the District’s public schools. Those who wish to testify must register using the Council’s Hearing Management System at https://lims.dccouncil.gov/hearings by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. Testimony is limited to four minutes. Witnesses who anticipate needing spoken language interpretation, or require sign language interpretation, are requested to inform the Committee office of the need as soon as possible but no later than five business days before the proceeding by emailing cow@dccouncil.gov. We will make every effort to fulfill timely requests, although alternatives may be offered. Requests received in less than five business days may not be fulfilled. Witnesses will receive instructions on how to participate by Zoom prior to the hearing. If you have additional questions, please contact LeKisha Jordan, Senior Policy Advisor, at (202) 724-8137 or ljordan@dccouncil.gov. Public witnesses will participate virtually via the Internet on the Zoom Video Conference platform. Testimony should be submitted through the Council’s Hearing Management System (https://lims.dccouncil.gov/hearings) in advance of the hearing. Testimony will be publicly accessible upon Committee review. If you are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Statements for the record should be submitted through the Hearing Management System or left by voicemail by calling (202) 430-6948 (up to 3 minutes which will be transcribed). The record will close at 5:00 pm on Thursday, January 25, 2024.