Bill > S825

This bill establishes a formal definition for "school resource officer" (SRO) as a law enforcement officer assigned to a public school for at least 20 hours per week for over 12 weeks annually, focusing on school safety, security, and emergency preparedness, and mandates that all SROs complete specific initial and ongoing training, including topics like mental health, students with disabilities, racial equity, and crisis intervention, developed by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission and the North Carolina Sheriffs' Education and Training Standards Commission in collaboration with the Center for Safer Schools. Furthermore, the bill requires that any school-based complaint alleging delinquency initiated by an SRO must be signed by a school administrator or school social worker before being filed in juvenile court, with "school-based complaint" defined as one occurring on school grounds, school property, at a bus stop, or at a school-sanctioned event, or where the victim is identified as a school. To help schools manage potential costs associated with these new requirements, the bill also creates the School Resource Officer Critical Needs Grant Program, funded with one million dollars annually, to assist qualifying public school units, with a preference given to those in rural areas, serving younger grades, or receiving federal Title I funding.