Last year, the Education Omnibus bill contained controversial language that fundamentally changed the way School Resource Officers (SROs) were able to operate on school grounds. It caused a lot of concern for schools and law enforcement, and many of those officers were pulled out of the schools they were serving. This created a statewide problem and left schools vulnerable. There was a clear safety concern that had to be addressed.

Because of the lack of clarity and the growing safety concerns facing our schools, it was important that we address this issue as soon as possible, which is why Republicans were calling for a special session last August. As we know, only the Governor can call us back, and unfortunately, he didn’t, which meant the problem went unaddressed for months. Though I would have liked to see this issue addressed earlier – ideally before the school year even began – we finally passed a bill that provides a solution.

We heard the new SRO language on the floor on March 11, and Senate Republicans offered two important amendments: one would have stricken the new law completely and given us a clean slate to work with. Unfortunately, that amendment wasn’t accepted. The second amendment, however, was: it would have protected teachers and staff who intervene in order to prevent property damage in schools. This was a commonsense change that schools had been asking for. Since that amendment was accepted, the bill went to a conference committee, which was resolved in less than 15 minutes. The amendment was stripped out, and the bill came back to the House and Senate for final votes.

The final bill may not be the ideal fix, but it does get SROs back into schools. However, there is still additional language in there that I do find concerning. Particularly when it comes to the new “model policy” that will be developed to guide SROs and their operations. This policy will not come from the legislature but will instead come from the governor-appointed Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board. This is concerning because yet again, Democrats have written a bill that cedes legislative power. This trend is concerning. I’m also worried that the POST Board will create policies that act as state mandates on schools and SROs, without requiring legislative approval. Senators and Representatives are elected to represent the interests and concerns of their communities, but time and time again, it feels as though we are being worked around and the legislative process is being circumvented. This theme of ceding power to unelected boards and agencies has got to end.

Though I’m happy we have finally agreed on a solution that keeps students and schools safe, I’m disappointed we couldn’t reach this agreement sooner. Many schools were left operating without their SROs for most of the current school year, and that should have never happened. In some cases, it even led to increased violence and issues in schools. This solution is certainly better than no solution, which is exactly what our schools have been facing. I’m glad we could come together to find a bipartisan solution to a widespread problem, and I truly hope this theme continues throughout the year.