Present law provides that a school resource officer ("SRO") is employed by a local school board or LEA to generally ensure the safety, security, and welfare of all students, faculty, staff, and school visitors. To serve as an SRO, present law requires that the person is a law enforcement officer who follows all laws, rules, and regulations of the peace officers standards and training (POST) commission, and who has been assigned to a school in accordance with a memorandum of understanding ("MOU") between the chief of the appropriate law enforcement agency and the LEA. QUALIFICATIONS This bill adds that, if assigned to a public school by the director of schools or the director of a public charter school, an SRO may also be either (i) a retired law enforcement officer or (ii) an honorably discharged veteran. This bill authorizes LEAs and public charter schools to employ such an SRO. However, each local board of education and public charter school governing body that intends to employ such an SRO must adopt a policy that outlines the duties, responsibilities, and authority of that SRO, including any limitations on the SRO's authority. This bill further requires that each policy complies with relevant privacy laws. CONCEALED HANDGUN CARRY In order for an SRO who is a retired law enforcement officer or an honorably discharged veteran to be authorized to carry a firearm on school property, the SRO must complete, at their own expense, the same amount of basic training in school policing as law enforcement officers who serve as SROs, which is 40 hours. LIMITATIONS This bill specifies that only SROs who are law enforcement officers operating under an MOU pursuant to present law will have the authority to receive certain confidential information concerning children who have been adjudicated delinquent, assist in the enforcement of court orders, take a student into custody after witnessing the student violate a criminal statute, or review footage taken from a camera installed on the exterior of a school bus.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-6-4202, 49-6-815(a), 49-6-815, 49-6-820(b)(7), 49-6-820, 49-6-815(b), 49-6-815(k), 37-1-131(a)(2)(F), 37-1-131, 37-1-131(c)(5), 49-6-3051(d), 49-6-3051, 49-10-1304(h)(3), 49-10-1304, 55-8-151(c)(2), 55-8-151