Senate Engrossed |
State of Arizona Senate Fifty-second Legislature First Regular Session 2015
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CHAPTER 35
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SENATE BILL 1077 |
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AN ACT
amending sections 15‑2011 and 36‑883.05, arizona revised Statutes; relating to child care facilities.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 15-2011, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-2011. Minimum school facility adequacy requirements; definition
A. The school facilities board, as determined and prescribed in this chapter, shall provide funding to school districts for new construction as the number of pupils in the district fills the existing school facilities and requires more pupil space.
B. School buildings in a school district are adequate if all of the following requirements are met:
1. The buildings contain sufficient and appropriate space and equipment that comply with the minimum school facility adequacy guidelines established pursuant to subsection F of this section. The state shall not fund facilities for elective courses that require the school district facilities to exceed minimum school facility adequacy requirements. The school facilities board shall determine whether a school building meets the requirements of this paragraph by analyzing the total square footage that is available for each pupil in conjunction with the need for specialized spaces and equipment.
2. The buildings are in compliance with federal, state and local building and fire codes and laws that are applicable to the particular building. An existing school building is not required to comply with current requirements for new buildings unless this compliance is specifically mandated by law or by the building or fire code of the jurisdiction where the building is located.
3. The building systems, including roofs, plumbing, telephone systems, electrical systems, heating systems and cooling systems, are in working order and are capable of being properly maintained.
4. The buildings are structurally sound.
C. The standards that shall be used by the school facilities board to determine whether a school building meets the minimum adequate gross square footage requirements are as follows:
1. For a school district that provides instruction to pupils in programs for preschool children with disabilities, kindergarten programs and grades one through six, eighty square feet per pupil in programs for preschool children with disabilities, kindergarten programs and grades one through six.
2. For a school district that provides instruction to up to eight hundred pupils in grades seven and eight, eighty‑four square feet per pupil in grades seven and eight.
3. For a school district that provides instruction to more than eight hundred pupils in grades seven and eight, eighty square feet per pupil in grades seven and eight or sixty‑seven thousand two hundred square feet, whichever is more.
4. For a school district that provides instruction to up to four hundred pupils in grades nine through twelve, one hundred twenty‑five square feet per pupil in grades nine through twelve.
5. For a school district that provides instruction to more than four hundred and up to one thousand pupils in grades nine through twelve, one hundred twenty square feet per pupil in grades nine through twelve or fifty thousand square feet, whichever is more.
6. For a school district that provides instruction to more than one thousand and up to one thousand eight hundred pupils in grades nine through twelve, one hundred twelve square feet per pupil in grades nine through twelve or one hundred twenty thousand square feet, whichever is more.
7. For a school district that provides instruction to more than one thousand eight hundred pupils in grades nine through twelve, ninety‑four square feet per pupil in grades nine through twelve or two hundred one thousand six hundred square feet, whichever is more.
D. The school facilities board may modify the square footage requirements prescribed in subsection C of this section or modify the amount of monies awarded to cure the square footage deficiency pursuant to this section for particular school districts based on extraordinary circumstances for any of the following considerations:
1. The number of pupils served by the school district.
2. Geographic factors.
3. Grade configurations other than those prescribed in subsection C of this section.
E. In measuring the square footage per pupil requirements of subsection C of this section, the school facilities board shall:
1. Use the most recent one hundredth day average daily membership.
2. For each school, use the lesser of either:
(a) Total gross square footage.
(b) Student capacity multiplied by the appropriate square footage per pupil prescribed by subsection C of this section.
3. Consider the total space available in all schools in use in the school district, except that the school facilities board shall allow an exclusion of the square footage for certain schools and the pupils within the schools' boundaries if the school district demonstrates to the board's satisfaction unusual or excessive busing of pupils or unusual attendance boundary changes between schools.
4. Compute the gross square footage of all buildings by measuring from exterior wall to exterior wall. Square footage used solely for district administration, storage of vehicles and other nonacademic purposes shall be excluded from the net square footage.
5. Include all portable and modular buildings.
6. Include in the net square footage new construction funded wholly or partially by the school facilities board based on the square footage funded by the school facilities board. If the new construction is to exceed the square footage funded by the school facilities board, the excess square footage shall not be included in the net square footage if any of the following applies:
(a) The excess square footage was constructed before July 1, 2002 or funded by a class B bond, impact aid revenue bond or capital outlay override approved by the voters after August 1, 1998 and before June 30, 2002 or funded from unrestricted capital outlay expended before June 30, 2002.
(b) The excess square footage of new school facilities does not exceed twenty‑five per cent percent of the minimum square footage requirements pursuant to subsection C of this section.
(c) The excess square footage of expansions to school facilities does not exceed twenty‑five per cent percent of the minimum square footage requirements pursuant to subsection C of this section.
7. Exclude square footage built under a developer agreement according to section 15‑342, paragraph 33 until the school facilities board provides funding for the square footage under section 15‑2041, subsection O.
8. Include square footage that a school district has leased to another entity, including square footage leased to a charter school that is sponsored by a school district pursuant to section 15‑183.
F. The school facilities board shall adopt rules establishing minimum school facility adequacy guidelines. The guidelines shall provide the minimum quality and quantity of school buildings and facilities and equipment necessary and appropriate to enable pupils to achieve the academic standards pursuant to section 15‑203, subsection A, paragraphs 12 and 13 and sections 15‑701 and 15‑701.01. At a minimum, the school facilities board shall address all of the following in developing these guidelines:
1. School sites.
2. Classrooms.
3. Libraries and media centers, or both.
4. Cafeterias.
5. Auditoriums, multipurpose rooms or other multiuse space.
6. Technology.
7. Transportation.
8. Facilities for science, arts and physical education.
9. Other facilities and equipment that are necessary and appropriate to achieve the academic standards prescribed pursuant to section 15‑203, subsection A, paragraphs 12 and 13 and sections 15‑701 and 15‑701.01.
10. Appropriate combinations of facilities or uses listed in this section.
G. The board shall consider the facilities and equipment of the schools with the highest academic productivity scores, as prescribed in section 15‑2002, subsection A, paragraph 9, subdivision (d), and the highest parent quality ratings in the establishment of the guidelines.
H. The school facilities board may consider appropriate combinations of facilities or uses in making assessments of and curing existing deficiencies pursuant to section 15‑2002, subsection A, paragraph 1 and in certifying plans for new school facilities pursuant to section 15‑2002, subsection A, paragraph 5.
I. A child care facility that provides services utilizing the practice of a documented educational philosophy including least restrictive environment pursuant to section 36-883.05 may incorporate the minimum school facility adequacy guidelines pursuant to subsection F of this section when selecting a facility if the guidelines do not conflict with facility requirements established by the department of health services.
J. I. For the purposes of this section, "student capacity" means the capacity adjusted to include any additions to or deletions of space, including modular or portable buildings at the school. The school facilities board shall determine the student capacity for each school in conjunction with each school district, recognizing each school's allocation of space as of July 1, 1998, to achieve the academic standards prescribed pursuant to section 15‑203, subsection A, paragraphs 12 and 13 and sections 15‑701 and 15‑701.01.
Sec. 2. Section 36-883.05, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
36-883.05. Child care facilities; infants; floor bedding; requirements; emergency evacuation; notice; definitions
A. A child care facility that provides child care services utilizing the practice of a documented educational philosophy including least restrictive environment for infants and meets the requirements of this section may use floor bedding in the facility instead of cribs.
B. Floor bedding pursuant to subsection A of this section must meet all of the following requirements:
1. Be a mat that meets the following dimensions:
(a) Is not less than two inches and not more than three inches thick.
(b) Is not less than three feet and not more than four feet long.
(c) Is not less than two feet and not more than three feet wide.
2. Not be elevated or raised in any way.
3. Be covered with a waterproof and washable mattress pad, a washable zip cover and an individually assigned sheet.
4. Be assigned to an individual infant and not shared with another infant.
5. Be turned over at least once a week.
6. Be placed at least eighteen inches apart, eighteen inches from any wall and two feet from any other object.
7. Be placed on a floor that is vacuumed and sanitized every day and, if the floor is carpeted, is shampooed at least twice a month.
C. The ratio of staff members to resting infants in the resting area must be at least one staff member to every four infants. A staff member in the resting area must be supervised for the first ninety days of employment to ensure the staff member's proper use of the floor bedding pursuant to this section. Any staff member in the resting area shall have current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid.
D. If an emergency requiring evacuation occurs, the infant nursery staff shall place the infants in an evacuation crib and move the infants in the crib to a designated evacuation assembly area. Evacuation cribs must be stored not more than ten feet from the exterior exit. If stored on the outside of the building, an evacuation crib must be protected from weather. On arrival at the designated evacuation assembly area, all infants must be physically accounted for against the sign‑in log and the results reported to the director of the child care facility immediately. The infant nursery supervisor is responsible for bringing all attendance sheets, child rosters and information sheets to the evacuation assembly area. The child care facility staff shall take appropriate supplies during the evacuation to protect the children, if possible, during inclement weather.
E. A facility shall provide the department written notice thirty days before implementing the use of floor bedding pursuant to this section.
F. If a licensed facility does not comply with the requirements of this section, the department may require the installation of cribs.
G. A child care facility that provides services utilizing the practice of a documented educational philosophy including least restrictive environment may incorporate the minimum school facility adequacy guidelines pursuant to section 15‑2011 when selecting a facility if the guidelines do not conflict with facility requirements established by the Arizona department of health services.
H. G. For the purposes of this section:
1. "Infant" means either:
(a) A child who is twelve months or younger.
(b) A child WHO IS eighteen months or younger if not walking.
2. "Resting area" means a space within the classroom that is separate from the activity area and that contains only the floor bedding, infants and staff members.
APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR MARCH 23, 2015.
FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE MARCH 23, 2015.