FILED SENATE
Apr 1, 2021
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
S.B. 484
SESSION 2021 PRINCIPAL CLERK
S D
SENATE BILL DRS45224-NB-33
Short Title: School-Based Complaint/SROs. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Mohammed and Batch (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to:
1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
2 AN ACT TO DEFINE THE TERM "SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER" AND REQUIRE
3 TRAINING FOR SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS AND TO REQUIRE A SCHOOL
4 ADMINISTRATOR OR SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER TO SIGN A SCHOOL-BASED
5 COMPLAINT INITIATED BY A SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER PRIOR TO BEING
6 FILED IN JUVENILE COURT.
7 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
8 SECTION 1.(a) Article 8C of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by
9 adding a new section to read:
10 "§ 115C-105.70. School resource officer.
11 (a) A school resource officer is any law enforcement officer assigned to one or more
12 public schools within a public school unit for at least 20 hours per week for more than 12 weeks
13 per calendar year to assist with all of the following, consistent with any written memorandum of
14 understanding between the public school unit and the law enforcement agency governing the
15 school resource officer:
16 (1) School safety.
17 (2) School security.
18 (3) Emergency preparedness.
19 (4) Emergency response.
20 (5) Any additional responsibilities related to school safety or security assigned by
21 the officer's employer while the officer is acting as a school resource officer.
22 (b) All school resource officers shall comply with initial training standards, as established
23 by subsection (c) of this section, within one year of being assigned as a school resource officer.
24 After initial training, all school resource officers shall comply with continuing education
25 standards, as established by subsection (c) of this section.
26 (c) The North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission
27 and the North Carolina Sheriffs' Education and Training Standards Commission, in collaboration
28 with the Center for Safer Schools, shall establish initial training and continuing education
29 standards for school resource officers. These standards shall, at a minimum, include training on
30 the following topics: mental health, students with disabilities, racial equity, and crisis
31 intervention and de-escalation."
32 SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 17C-6(a) is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
33 "(21) Establish initial training and continuing education training standards for
34 school resource officers, as set forth in G.S. 115C-105.70."
35 SECTION 1.(c) G.S. 17E-4(a) is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
*DRS45224-NB-33*
 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2021
1 "(17) Establish initial training and continuing education training standards for
2 school resource officers, as set forth in G.S. 115C-105.70."
3 SECTION 1.(d) The North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training
4 Standards Commission and the North Carolina Sheriffs' Education and Training Standards
5 Commission shall establish initial training standards for school resource officers no later than
6 January 15, 2022.
7 SECTION 1.(e) Subsection (a) of this section applies to school resource officers
8 assigned on or after January 1, 2022. All school resource officers assigned before January 1,
9 2022, shall complete initial training no later than December 31, 2022.
10 SECTION 2.(a) Article 18 of Chapter 7B of the General Statutes is amended by
11 adding a new section to read:
12 "§ 7B-1802A. School-based complaints.
13 A school-based complaint in which delinquency is alleged to have occurred initiated by a
14 school resource officer, as defined in G.S. 115C-105.70, shall be signed by a school administrator
15 or school social worker prior to being referred in accordance with G.S. 7B-1803 or filed in a
16 court of competent jurisdiction. For the purposes of this section, "a school-based complaint"
17 means a complaint in which delinquency is alleged to have occurred on school grounds, school
18 property, at a school bus stop, or at an off-campus school-sanctioned event, or whose victim is
19 identified as a school."
20 SECTION 2.(b) This section becomes effective on January 1, 2022, and applies to
21 school-based complaints initiated on or after that date by school resource officers.
22 SECTION 3. Except where otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes
23 law.
Page 2 DRS45224-NB-33


Statutes affected:
Filed: 17C-6, 17E-4
Edition 1: 17C-6, 17E-4