Amendment #1 to H4860

Ensuring Public Accountability for School Policing

Ms. Sabadosa of Northampton moves to amend the bill, as amended, by striking out Section 66 in its entirety and inserting in place thereof the following Section-

SECTION 66.

Said chapter 71, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting the words and punctuation “,or a special service officer authorized under Chapter 282 of the Laws of 1898,” after the words “police officer” and before the words “with all necessary training” in the definition of “school resource officer” in subsection (a).

Said chapter 71, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out the first paragraph of section 37P subsection (b) and inserting in place thereof the following section:

(b) Every chief of police, at the request of the superintendent and subject to appropriation, shall assign at least 1 school resource officer to serve the city, town, commonwealth charter school, regional school district or county agricultural school, subject to annual approval by public vote of the relevant school committee. In the case of a regional school district, commonwealth charter school or county agriculture school, the chief of police of the city or town where the school is located, at the request of the superintendent, shall assign the school resource officer, which may be the same officer for all schools in the city or town, subject to annual approval by public vote of the relevant school committee.  In presenting or renewing a request for a school resource officer to the relevant school committee, the superintendent must publicly present: (i) the relevant costs to the school district, including costs for any additional security personnel; (ii) the proposed budget for mental, social or emotional health support personnel for the school; and (iii) the number of school-based arrests, citations and court referrals made in the previous year disaggregated as required by the department of elementary and secondary education; provided, however that if the data on the number of school-based arrests, citations and court referrals are not reported to the department in accordance with this section, the request to assign a school resource officer shall be deemed invalid.

Said chapter 71, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out subsection (c).

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #1 to H4860

Ensuring Public Accountability for School Policing