Florida Senate - 2017 SB 1690
By Senator Torres
15-01253A-17 20171690__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to school resource officer programs;
3 amending s. 1006.12, F.S.; providing legislative
4 findings and intent; encouraging a school resource
5 officer to be placed at each public school in the
6 district; authorizing a part-time law enforcement
7 officer to be a school resource officer or school
8 safety officer; providing requirements for the funding
9 of certain school resource officers’ and school safety
10 officers’ salaries; amending s. 1002.32, F.S.;
11 conforming a cross-reference to changes made by the
12 act; providing an effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Section 1006.12, Florida Statutes, is amended to
17 read:
18 1006.12 School resource officers and school safety
19 officers.—
20 (1) The Legislature finds that the safety of students,
21 teachers, administrative personnel, and other school staff is of
22 the utmost importance and that certified law enforcement
23 officers who are proficient with firearms and are trained in
24 current law enforcement techniques are an invaluable asset to
25 schools in this state. It is the intent of the Legislature to
26 encourage each district school board to place a school resource
27 officer in each school in the district and to mitigate the
28 financial burden of doing so.
29 (2)(1) District school boards may establish school resource
30 officer programs, through a cooperative agreement with law
31 enforcement agencies or in accordance with subsection (3) (2),
32 and are encouraged to place at least one school resource officer
33 at each public school in the district.
34 (a) School resource officers shall be certified law
35 enforcement officers, as defined in s. 943.10(1), or certified
36 part-time law enforcement officers, as defined in s. 943.10(6),
37 who are sometimes referred to as reserve officers, who are
38 employed by a law enforcement agency as defined in s. 943.10(4).
39 The powers and duties of a law enforcement officer or part-time
40 law enforcement officer shall continue throughout the employee’s
41 tenure as a school resource officer.
42 (b) School resource officers shall abide by district school
43 board policies and shall consult with and coordinate activities
44 through the school principal, but shall be responsible to the
45 law enforcement agency in all matters relating to employment,
46 subject to agreements between a district school board and a law
47 enforcement agency. Activities conducted by the school resource
48 officer which are part of the regular instructional program of
49 the school shall be under the direction of the school principal.
50 (3)(a)(2)(a) School safety officers shall be law
51 enforcement officers, as defined in s. 943.10(1), or part-time
52 law enforcement officers, as defined in s. 943.10(6), who are
53 sometimes referred to as reserve officers, certified under the
54 provisions of chapter 943 and employed by either a law
55 enforcement agency or by the district school board. If the
56 officer is employed by the district school board, the district
57 school board is the employing agency for purposes of chapter
58 943, and must comply with the provisions of that chapter.
59 (b) A district school board may commission one or more
60 school safety officers for the protection and safety of school
61 personnel, property, and students within the school district.
62 The district school superintendent may recommend and the
63 district school board may appoint one or more school safety
64 officers.
65 (c) A school safety officer has and shall exercise the
66 power to make arrests for violations of law on district school
67 board property and to arrest persons, whether on or off such
68 property, who violate any law on such property under the same
69 conditions that deputy sheriffs are authorized to make arrests.
70 A school safety officer has the authority to carry weapons when
71 performing his or her official duties.
72 (d) A district school board may enter into mutual aid
73 agreements with one or more law enforcement agencies as provided
74 in chapter 23. A school safety officer’s salary may be paid
75 jointly by the district school board and the law enforcement
76 agency, as mutually agreed to.
77 (4) Fifty percent of the salary of a part-time law
78 enforcement officer, as defined in s. 943.10(6), who serves as a
79 school resource officer or school safety officer and is hired on
80 or after July 1, 2017, shall be provided by the employing
81 district school board and law enforcement agency, as applicable,
82 and 50 percent shall be as provided in the General
83 Appropriations Act.
84 Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (10) of section
85 1002.32, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
86 1002.32 Developmental research (laboratory) schools.—
87 (10) EXCEPTIONS TO LAW.—To encourage innovative practices
88 and facilitate the mission of the lab schools, in addition to
89 the exceptions to law specified in s. 1001.23(2), the following
90 exceptions shall be permitted for lab schools:
91 (a) The methods and requirements of the following statutes
92 shall be held in abeyance: ss. 316.75; 1001.30; 1001.31;
93 1001.32; 1001.33; 1001.34; 1001.35; 1001.36; 1001.361; 1001.362;
94 1001.363; 1001.37; 1001.371; 1001.372; 1001.38; 1001.39;
95 1001.395; 1001.40; 1001.41; 1001.44; 1001.453; 1001.46;
96 1001.461; 1001.462; 1001.463; 1001.464; 1001.47; 1001.48;
97 1001.49; 1001.50; 1001.51; 1006.12(2) 1006.12(1); 1006.21(3),
98 (4); 1006.23; 1010.07(2); 1010.40; 1010.41; 1010.42; 1010.43;
99 1010.44; 1010.45; 1010.46; 1010.47; 1010.48; 1010.49; 1010.50;
100 1010.51; 1010.52; 1010.53; 1010.54; 1010.55; 1011.02(1)-(3),
101 (5); 1011.04; 1011.20; 1011.21; 1011.22; 1011.23; 1011.71;
102 1011.72; 1011.73; and 1011.74.
103 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.