School safety incidents do not respect property lines. Threats may originate on school grounds but quickly extend to adjacent streets, sidewalks, or nearby areas. Without extraterritorial authority, school police officers are legally constrained to the school entity's property boundary.  This creates gaps in coverage and delays effective response.

My legislation will ensure school police officers have the same power as municipal police when managing school-related safety.  This bill will give school police officers the ability to act outside immediate school property and allow them to manage school-related incidents on adjacent roads and areas or in "hot pursuit" of threats.  Additionally, school police with extraterritorial authority can serve as a critical supplement to local law enforcement, enabling a more effective, coordinated response.

Under the Public School Code, school safety and security coordinators are required to communicate with local law enforcement. Extraterritorial authority strengthens this coordination by giving school police the legal standing to act in the immediate vicinity of schools, reducing jurisdictional confusion and improving outcomes.

Granting school police officers extraterritorial authority is a commonsense, legally grounded measure that directly enhances student safety across Pennsylvania. I urge you to join me in co-sponsoring this legislation giving school police the tools they need to protect our children, wherever that protection is needed.