On Thursday, March 14, Senator Cal Bahr (R-East Bethel) voted in favor of a bipartisan fix to last session’s unvetted school resource officer (SRO) law, which caused many law enforcement agencies to remove or alter SROs until the legislature fixed the law. This legislation has the support of Minnesota law enforcement and eliminates the overly restrictive language that hinders their ability to act in dangerous situations. 

“Our school resource officers play a vital role in fostering positive relationships with students and safeguarding our schools,” Sen. Bahr said. However, a Democrat law from last session caused a number of SROs to leave their schools. Republicans urged Democrats to join us in finding an immediate, bipartisan solution to this issue, but the governor refused to call for a special session. I am grateful that we finally reached a consensus that is backed by our law enforcement officers, but we should have acted on this issue much sooner. This bill provides clarity in the law that SROs deserve.”

With the start of the 2023 school year, school districts across the state found the language change meant SRO contracts would need significant changes to meet the new law. Many law enforcement agencies removed SROs or repositioned them to be stationed outside school buildings. The short-term impact was almost immediately felt as reports of violence at schools were shared widely. Just last week, an SRO was sent to the hospital after breaking up a fight.The bill passed the Senate with a 61-3 vote, and it was recently signed into law by the governor