HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 124        FILED ON: 1/9/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 565

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Lindsay N. Sabadosa

_________________

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.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Lindsay N. Sabadosa

1st Hampshire

1/9/2023

Samantha Montaño

15th Suffolk

4/10/2023

John J. Mahoney

13th Worcester

5/16/2023


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 124        FILED ON: 1/9/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 565

By Representative Sabadosa of Northampton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 565) of Lindsay N. Sabadosa relative to the location of school resource officers.  Education.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

 

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.