SB 257

Present law provides that a school resource offic er ("SRO"") is employed by a local school board or LEA to generally e nsur e the safety, security, and welfare of all students, faculty, staff, and school visitors. T o serve as a n SRO, present law requires that the person is a law enforcement officer who fol lows all laws, rules, and regulations of the peace officer s 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 schoo l, an SRO may also be either (i) a retired law enforcement officer or (ii) a n honorably discharged vetera n . This bill authorizes LEAs and public charter schools to employ such an SRO. However, e ach 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, responsibiliti es, and authority of that SRO, including any limitations on the SRO's authority. This bill further requires that e ach 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 h ave 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."