State funding that was eliminated in 2016 to maintain a database of school maps could be restored.
A bill in Olympia that is part of a package of legislation dealing with school safety would pay for the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) to review school mapping systems.
“We want to get a really great mapping system in all our schools and the JLARC study is going to help us do that,” said Laurie Dolan (D-Olympia).
Between 2003 and 2016, the state paid for maps, blueprints, and contact information for all schools, public and private, to be uploaded into a statewide database known as “Rapid Responder.”
First responders use the network when responding to campus incidents. The information can help coordinate rescues, evacuations, or arrests.
What had been an automatic and free system for school districts, turned into an optional one that had to be paid for by the districts after the funding was cut. A recent state audit raised concerns about the lack of participation in the program following the 2016 budget cut.
Several districts have opted out saying updating the information is too costly, including Seattle Public Schools. The 13 new and remodeled schools that opened in Seattle since 2016 have not been added to the system.
“Up until 2016, Seattle Public Schools had been working to get all school mapping updated for the Rapid Responder system. Once the funding mechanism changed, we were unable to proceed,” a district spokesperson said in a statement.
While several districts have stopped updating maps, the majority are paying to keep the database updated, according to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC).
Steven Strachan, executive director of WASPC, said an estimated 10-13 percent of the system’s maps have likely not been updated since funding was cut in 2016.
Olympia Public Schools is one of the districts that has updated the system with their latest school maps. Although the five most recent school buildings were not updated until KING 5 News sent an email inquiring about the district’s policy regarding Rapid Responder.
Depending what the review comes up with, the earliest the funding would be restored is next year.
