On Thursday, March 14, Senator Julia Coleman (R-Waconia) voted in favor of a bipartisan fix to last session’s school resource officer (SRO) 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. 

“SROs are integral members of our school community, and their role is essential to the safety of our students, teachers and staff,” Sen. Coleman said. “This bipartisan legislation is backed by our law enforcement, and it will provide our SROs the clarity and support they need to do their jobs and return to their schools.”

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.

“Back in August, I joined Republicans in introducing a bipartisan fix to this change in law and urged the governor to call for a special session. I am glad we reached a bipartisan, commonsense solution that puts our kids first, but I wish we could have reached a resolution much sooner,” Sen. Coleman concluded.

This legislation was recently signed into law by the governor.