Status: Enacted — Signed by Governor Katie Hobbs on May 6, 2025, after bipartisan passage by the Arizona Legislature (57th Legislature, First Regular Session). The law is in effect for the 2025-2026 school year and forward.
Citation: Arizona HB 2074 (2025) — amends A.R.S. § 15-154 and related School Safety Program statutes.
Jurisdiction: Arizona
Category: School Safety, School Safety Grant Funding, Emergency Response Planning
Industries: K-12 Education (public school districts and charter schools)
Enacted Date: May 6, 2025
Effective Date: 2025-2026 school year (general effective date following the 2025 Regular Session).
Summary: HB 2074 is described by Arizona officials as the most significant expansion of the state School Safety Program since its creation. Historically, School Safety Program grants funded school resource officers (SROs) and counselors, but an estimated $33 million in grant funding went unused in the 2024-2025 school year because schools could not find enough qualified personnel to hire. HB 2074 addresses that gap on two fronts: it broadens who can serve as a school officer — making retired law enforcement officers in good standing eligible — and, critically, it allows School Safety Program grant money to be spent on safety technology, equipment, and infrastructure rather than personnel alone. The law also adds new training requirements for officers and requires districts and charters to prepare and submit a campus emergency response plan.
Key Provisions:
- Grant Funds for Safety Technology & Infrastructure: School Safety Program grant money may now be used for safety equipment, technology, and infrastructure — not just school resource officers and counselors.
- Expanded Officer Eligibility: Retired law enforcement officers in good standing become eligible to serve as school officers, widening the available personnel pool.
- Training Requirements: Officers must be trained on interacting with students with disabilities, civil rights, adolescent mental health, and student privacy law.
- Campus Emergency Response Plans: Districts and charters must prepare and submit a campus emergency response plan.
Affected Entities: Arizona public school districts and charter schools participating in the State School Safety Program; the Arizona Department of Education, which administers the program.
IntelliSee Relevance: High. By opening School Safety Program grant dollars to safety technology and infrastructure — not just personnel — HB 2074 creates a direct funding pathway Arizona districts can use for AI safety analytics. IntelliSee’s AI safety platform layers onto existing camera infrastructure to detect a brandished firearm, a fall, an aggressive-behavior pattern, or unauthorized access and alert responders in real time — without facial recognition or biometric identification, consistent with the student-privacy training the law now requires. For Arizona K-12 security leaders, the practical takeaway is that the same grant stream that pays for officers can now help fund the detection technology that extends those officers’ reach to every camera on campus. See the Arizona Weapons Detection Systems in Schools (HB 2370, 2026) entry for the companion mandate, and the Security Legislation & Mandate Tracker for the full Arizona context.
Compliance Timeline
- April 2025 — Arizona Legislature passes HB 2074 with bipartisan support.
- May 6, 2025 — Governor Katie Hobbs signs HB 2074 into law.
- 2025-2026 School Year — Expanded grant uses (safety technology and infrastructure), broadened officer eligibility, new training requirements, and the campus emergency response plan requirement take effect.
Related Legislation & Resources
- Arizona Weapons Detection Systems in Schools (HB 2370 / Chapter 58, 2026)
- Arizona Healthcare Workplace Violence Prevention (A.R.S. § 36-420.03)
- Indiana Secured School Safety Grant Expansion (HEA 1492)
- Georgia School Safety Grant Funding Increase (FY2026 Budget, +$50M)
- Security Legislation & Mandate Tracker
- IntelliSee AI Gun Detection
Sources: Arizona Department of Education — “New school safety law means more officers, technology and training” (May 7, 2025); Arizona Legislature HB 2074 (57th Legislature, 1st Regular Session) bill text and summary; KJZZ and KTAR reporting on the May 2025 signing.