House 4592

WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2026 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 4592

By Delegates Hornby, Holstein, J. Cannon, Crouse, Browning, Dean, Ridenour, Stephens, and McGeehan

[Introduced January 20, 2026; referred to the Committee on Education]

A BILL to amend and reenact §18-9F-10a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to modifying school safety mapping data to include colleges and universities.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 9F. SCHOOL ACCESS SAFETY ACT.

§18-9F-10a. Standardized school safety mapping data.

(a) In addition to other requirements contained in this article, the Crisis Response Plan

required by §18-9F-9 of this code, or the safety program required by §18-9F-10 of this code, each county board of education shall create standardized school safety mapping data that, at a minimum, requires that mapping data:

(1) Be in formats that conform to, integrate with, and are accessible within software  platforms used in local public safety answering points and by the city, county, state, and federal

public safety agencies that could provide emergency services at the school without requiring the purchase of additional software or payment of fees to access the data;

(2) Be in formats capable of being printed, shared electronically, and, if requested, digitally integrated into interactive mobile platforms in use;

(3) Be viewable and printable from open-source document or image viewers;

(4) Be oriented to true north and include a fixed grid with consistent "x" and "y" coordinates;

(5) Have its accuracy verified by the entity producing the data through an on-site walk-through of the school buildings and grounds;

(6) Include accurate floor plans overlaid on current, verified aerial imagery of the school

campus;

(7) Include site-specific labeling for school structures, such as room names, hallway designations, exterior doors, stairwell numbers, and the locations of hazards, critical utility controls, key boxes, automated external defibrillators, and trauma kits and school grounds, including parking areas, athletic fields, surrounding roads, and neighboring properties;

(8) Include the requirement that future updates or modifications to the school mapping data conform to and integrate with software platforms used by the relevant public safety agencies; and

(9) Be created, stored, and maintained exclusively within the United States for the entire duration of the mapping process and thereafter to ensure security of the data.

(b) The college campus safety mapping data set forth in subsection (a) shall be provided to local first response agencies including police, fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and any other local entities the school's crisis response planning team determines should be consulted in accordance with this article. The data shall be provided at no cost beyond the initial cost of production and shall be made available to such entities permanently.

(c) College systems shall consult and receive approval from the primary law enforcement agency serving and supporting the college. These shall include, but are not limited to county, city, or municipal police departments, or Sheriff's Department, prior to procurement to ensure school mapping data meets the requirements in this section.

(b) (d) The school safety mapping data set forth in subsection (a) shall be provided to the state board of education, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and local first response agencies including police, fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and any other local entities the school's crisis response planning team determines should be consulted in accordance with this article. The data shall be provided at no cost beyond the initial cost of production and shall be made available to such entities permanently.

(c) (e) Local school systems shall consult and receive approval from the primary law enforcement agency serving and supporting the district These shall include, but are not limited to county, city, or municipal police departments, or Sheriff's Department, prior to procurement to ensure school mapping data meets the requirements in this section.

(d) (f) Subject to available funding each county board of education may receive not greater than $4500 per school for the purposes set out in this section.

(e) (g) The school safety mapping requirements of this section shall be effective on September 1, 2026.     

(f) (h) Any data obtained and maintained pursuant to the provisions of this section shall not be subject to disclosure pursuant to the provisions of §29B-1-1 et seq. of this code.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to modify school safety mapping data to include colleges and universities.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.