8407 - SAFE-SCHOOL OFFICERS

For the protection and safety of students, school personnel, visitors, and property, the District shall partner with local law enforcement agencies to establish or assign one or more safe-school officers at each school in the District.

School Resource Officers

The School Board will enter into cooperative agreements with law enforcement agencies for the provision of school resource officers.  School resource officers must be certified law enforcement officers as defined in F.S. 943.10(1) and employed by a law enforcement agency as defined in F.S. 943.10(4).  School resource officers shall:

1. undergo criminal background checks, drug testing, and a psychological evaluation;
    
2. abide by Board policies and consult with and coordinate activities through school principals; and
    
3. complete mental health crisis intervention training using a curriculum developed by a national organization with expertise in mental health crisis intervention.  Such training must be designed to improve school resource officers’ knowledge and skills as first responders to incidents involving students with emotional disturbance or mental illness, including de-escalation skills to ensure student and officer safety.

With respect to matters relating to employment, school resource officers shall be responsible to their law enforcement agency, subject to agreements between the Board and law enforcement agency.  Activities conducted by school resource officers which are part of the regular instructional program of schools shall be under the direction of school principals.

The powers and duties of law enforcement officers shall continue throughout school resource officers' tenure.

Commissioned School Safety Officers

The Superintendent shall recommend, and the School Board may appoint, one (1) or more school safety officers.  School safety officers must be certified law enforcement officers as defined in F.S. 943.10(1), certified under the provisions of F.S. Chapter 943, and employed by either a law enforcement agency or the Board.  School safety officers must undergo criminal background checks, drug testing, and a psychological evaluation.

School safety officers have and shall exercise the power to make arrests for violations of law on Board property and to arrest persons, whether on or off such property, who violate any law on such property under the same conditions that deputy sheriffs are authorized to make arrests. School safety officers have authority to carry weapons when performing their official duties.

The Board may enter into mutual aid agreements with one or more law enforcement agencies as provided in F.S. Chapter 23. 

A school safety officer's salary may be paid jointly by the Board and law enforcement agency.

© Neola 2018