HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2534 FILED ON: 2/17/2021
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 694
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Lindsay N. Sabadosa
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to the location of school resource officers.
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PETITION OF:
Name: | District/Address: | Date Added: |
Lindsay N. Sabadosa | 1st Hampshire | 2/16/2021 |
Christopher Hendricks | 11th Bristol | 2/26/2021 |
Nika C. Elugardo | 15th Suffolk | 2/26/2021 |
Jack Patrick Lewis | 7th Middlesex | 5/26/2021 |
Erika Uyterhoeven | 27th Middlesex | 6/21/2021 |
John J. Mahoney | 13th Worcester | 1/24/2022 |
James J. O'Day | 14th Worcester | 1/24/2022 |
David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf | 17th Worcester | 1/25/2022 |
Danillo A. Sena | 37th Middlesex | 1/31/2022 |
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2534 FILED ON: 2/17/2021
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 694
By Ms. Sabadosa of Northampton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 694) of Lindsay N. Sabadosa, Christopher Hendricks and Nika C. Elugardo relative to the location of school resource officers. Education. |
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)
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An Act relative to the location of school resource officers.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 37P of chapter 71, as appearing in section 79 of Chapter 253 of the Acts of 2020, is hereby amended by inserting after the last sentence in the definition of “School resource officer” the following sentence:-
A school resource officer shall not be located on school grounds but at the local police station and shall be charged with serving as the primary emergency responder to calls to the police department from public schools.
SECTION 2. Section 37P of chapter 71, as appearing in section 79 of Chapter 253 of the Acts of 2020, is hereby further amended by striking the fifth paragraph of subsection (b) and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-
The model memorandum of understanding shall expressly state that school resource officers, as well as any special service officers appointed to the school district, shall not: (i) be located on school grounds, but at the local police station, or, in the case of a special service officer, at the school district office, except when responding to school-based emergency (ii) serve as school disciplinarians, enforcers of school regulations or in place of licensed school psychologists, psychiatrists or counselors; and (iii) use police powers to address traditional school discipline issues, including non-violent disruptive behavior.