Bill Text: NJ A4917 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires boards of education to adopt policies pertaining to use of safe schools resource officers and referral of students to law enforcement.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-12-05 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A4917 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-A4917-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman HERB CONAWAY, JR.
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Requires boards of education to adopt policies pertaining to use of safe schools resource officers and referral of students to law enforcement.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning safe schools resource officers, amending P.L.2005, c.276, and supplementing chapter 17 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 2 of P.L.2005, c.276 (C.52:17B-71.8) is amended to read as follows:
2. a. The Police Training Commission in the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall develop a training course for safe schools resource officers and public school employees assigned by a board of education to serve as a school liaison to law enforcement. The Attorney General, in conjunction with the Police Training Commission, shall ensure that the training course is developed within 180 days of the effective date of [this act] P.L.2005, c.276 (C.52:17B-71.8 et al.). The course shall at a minimum provide comprehensive and consistent training in current school resource officer practices and concepts. The course shall include training in: the protection of students from harassment, intimidation, and bullying, including incidents which occur through electronic communication; de-escalation techniques; communicating with youth; and how disciplinary actions, including referrals to law enforcement and arrests, may impact a student's future opportunities. The course shall be made available to:
(1) any law enforcement officer or public school employee referred by the board of education of the public school to which assignment as a safe schools resource officer or school liaison to law enforcement is sought; and
(2) any safe schools resource officer or school liaison to law enforcement assigned to a public school prior to the effective date of P.L.2005, c.276 (C.52:17B-71.8 et al.).
b. The training course developed by the commission pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be offered at each school approved by the commission to provide police training courses pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1961, c.56 (C.52:17B-66 et seq.). The commission shall ensure that an individual assigned to instruct the course is proficient and experienced in current school resource officer practices and concepts.
c. The commission shall award a certificate to each individual who successfully completes the course.
d. The Police Training Commission, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to implement the provisions of this section.
(cf: P.L.2010, c.122, s.15)
2. (New section) Each board of education shall adopt policies to:
a. require that the referral of a student to the safe schools resource officer by an employee of the school district be supported with written documentation for the referral's need and any other pertinent information;
b. provide that, in the event that a student is referred to a safe schools resource officer, the student's parents or guardians shall be offered an opportunity for an in-person meeting with a school administrator or school counselor to discuss potential behavioral interventions that may be available to the student;
c. require that the citation of a student by a safe schools resource officer be accompanied by the immediate notification of this action to the student's parents or guardians;
d. require that a school district referral of a student to law enforcement other than the safe schools resource officer is approved by the superintendent or the principal of the school at which the student is enrolled, and is accompanied by the immediate notification of this action to the student's parents or guardians; and
e. establish penalties against any school district employee who knowingly submits false or misleading information or allegations against a student to the schools resource officer or law enforcement.
3. (New section) Each board of education shall provide appropriate training to its superintendent, school administrators, safe schools resource officers, school liaisons to law enforcement, school counselors, and teaching staff on the legal standards and requirements for referring a student to law enforcement and the potential impact of a referral on student wellbeing and opportunities.
4. (New section) a. Each school district shall submit to the Commissioner of Education data from the prior school year, for each school of the district, on:
(1) the number of students referred to a safe schools resource officer;
(2) the number of students referred to other law enforcement; and
(3) the number of incidents in which a safe schools resource officer assigned to a school of the district utilized physical restraint on a student.
b. All data submitted pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be disaggregated by student race, gender, disability, grade level, and eligibility for free or reduced price lunch under the National School Lunch Program.
5. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full school year following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes requirements for the adoption of policies by school districts pertaining to the use of safe schools resource officers and the referral of students to law enforcement.
The bill directs each board of education to adopt policies that:
· Require that the referral of a student to the safe schools resource officer by an employee of the school district be supported with written documentation for the referral's need;
· provide that, in the event that a student is referred to a safe schools resource officer, the student's parents or guardians will be offered an opportunity for an in-person meeting with a school administrator or school counselor to discuss potential behavioral interventions that may be available to the student;
· require that the citation of a student by a safe schools resource officer be accompanied by the immediate notification of this action to the student's parents or guardians;
· require that a school district referral of a student to law enforcement other than the safe schools resource officer is approved by the superintendent or the principal of the school at which the student is enrolled, and is accompanied by the immediate notification of this action to the student's parents or guardians; and
· establish penalties against any school district employee who knowingly submits false or misleading information or allegations against a student to the schools resource officer or law enforcement.
Under the bill, each board of education is required to provide appropriate training to its superintendent, school administrators, safe schools resource officers, school liaisons to law enforcement, school counselors, and teaching staff on the legal standards and requirements for referring a student to law enforcement and the potential impact of a referral on student wellbeing and opportunities.
The bill also provides that the training course provided to safe schools resource officers and other school district employees by the Police Training Commission, as required under current law, include content on: de-escalation techniques; communicating with youth; and how disciplinary actions, including referrals to law enforcement and arrests, may impact a student's future opportunities.
Finally, the bill requires each school district to submit to the Commissioner of Education data from the prior school year, for each school of the district, on:
· the number of students referred to a safe schools resource officer;
· the number of students referred to other law enforcement; and
· the number of incidents in which a safe schools resource officer assigned to a school of the district utilized physical restraint on a student.
