Florida Senate - 2018 SB 1700
By Senator Torres
15-01676-18 20181700__
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 district school
5 boards to place a school resource officer at each
6 public school; authorizing part-time law enforcement
7 officers to serve as school resource officers or
8 school safety officers; providing requirements for the
9 funding of the salaries of certain school resource
10 officers and school safety officers; amending s.
11 1002.32, F.S.; conforming a cross-reference to changes
12 made by the 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 paramount importance and that law enforcement officers who are
23 proficient with firearms and trained in current law enforcement
24 techniques are invaluable assets to schools in this state. It is
25 the intent of the Legislature to encourage each district school
26 board to place a school resource officer in each school within
27 the district and to mitigate the financial burden of such
28 placement.
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), and
32 are encouraged to place at least one school resource officer at
33 each public school in the district (2).
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,
37 sometimes referred to as “reserve officers,” who are employed by
38 a law enforcement agency as defined in s. 943.10(4). The powers
39 and duties of a law enforcement officer or a part-time law
40 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 are shall be responsible to
45 the law enforcement agency in all matters relating to
46 employment, subject to agreements between a district school
47 board and a law enforcement agency. Activities conducted by the
48 school resource officer which are part of the regular
49 instructional program of the school shall be under the direction
50 of the school principal.
51 (3)(a)(2)(a) School safety officers shall be law
52 enforcement officers, as defined in s. 943.10(1), or part-time
53 law enforcement officers, as defined in s. 943.10, who are
54 certified under the provisions of chapter 943 and employed by
55 either a law enforcement agency or by the district school board.
56 If the officer is employed by the district school board, the
57 district school board is the employing agency for purposes of
58 chapter 943, and must comply with the provisions of that
59 chapter.
60 (b) A district school board may commission one or more
61 school safety officers for the protection and safety of school
62 personnel, property, and students within the school district.
63 The district school superintendent may recommend and the
64 district school board may appoint one or more school safety
65 officers.
66 (c) A school safety officer has and shall exercise the
67 power to make arrests for violations of law on district school
68 board property and to arrest persons, whether on or off such
69 property, who violate any law on such property under the same
70 conditions that deputy sheriffs are authorized to make arrests.
71 A school safety officer has the authority to carry weapons when
72 performing his or her official duties.
73 (d) A district school board may enter into mutual aid
74 agreements with one or more law enforcement agencies as provided
75 in chapter 23. A school safety officer’s salary may be paid
76 jointly by the district school board and the law enforcement
77 agency, as mutually agreed to.
78 (4) Fifty percent of the salary of a part-time law
79 enforcement officer, as defined in s. 943.10, who serves as a
80 school resource officer or school safety officer and is hired on
81 or after July 1, 2018, shall be provided by the employing
82 district school board or law enforcement agency, as applicable,
83 and 50 percent shall be as provided in the General
84 Appropriations Act.
85 Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (10) of section
86 1002.32, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
87 1002.32 Developmental research (laboratory) schools.—
88 (10) EXCEPTIONS TO LAW.—To encourage innovative practices
89 and facilitate the mission of the lab schools, in addition to
90 the exceptions to law specified in s. 1001.23(2), the following
91 exceptions shall be permitted for lab schools:
92 (a) The methods and requirements of the following statutes
93 shall be held in abeyance: ss. 316.75; 1001.30; 1001.31;
94 1001.32; 1001.33; 1001.34; 1001.35; 1001.36; 1001.361; 1001.362;
95 1001.363; 1001.37; 1001.371; 1001.372; 1001.38; 1001.39;
96 1001.395; 1001.40; 1001.41; 1001.44; 1001.453; 1001.46;
97 1001.461; 1001.462; 1001.463; 1001.464; 1001.47; 1001.48;
98 1001.49; 1001.50; 1001.51; 1006.12(2) 1006.12(1); 1006.21(3),
99 (4); 1006.23; 1010.07(2); 1010.40; 1010.41; 1010.42; 1010.43;
100 1010.44; 1010.45; 1010.46; 1010.47; 1010.48; 1010.49; 1010.50;
101 1010.51; 1010.52; 1010.53; 1010.54; 1010.55; 1011.02(1)-(3),
102 (5); 1011.04; 1011.20; 1011.21; 1011.22; 1011.23; 1011.71;
103 1011.72; 1011.73; and 1011.74.
104 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.