This bill pertains to school safety and specifically authorizes public entities such as a sheriff and county commission or a local chief of police and city council to contract with nonpublic K-12 schools, including private, church, parochial, religious schools, and home-schooling entities, to provide school resource officers. However, such contracts can only be made if the public entity already provides a school resource officer to each public K-12 school within its jurisdiction. The bill also stipulates that any contract will be void if the public entity ceases to provide a school resource officer to any public K-12 school in its jurisdiction.

The bill requires that nonpublic schools fully reimburse the public entity for the full salary, benefits, and all other costs associated with employing the school resource officer. Nonpublic schools must also provide proof of occurrence-based liability insurance with coverage amounts and terms consistent with those carried by the public entity, naming the public entity and its officers as additional insureds. If the nonpublic school fails to maintain the required insurance coverage, it assumes liability for all acts taken by the school resource officer within the scope of their private employment. The bill maintains that nothing within it waives any immunity or statutory cap on damages to which the public entities or their officers are entitled. The act is set to become effective on June 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 16-1-44