PRINTER'S NO. 2692
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1934
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY HILL-EVANS, DONATUCCI, RAVENSTAHL, SOLOMON,
KIRKLAND, PASHINSKI, KINSEY, JOHNSON-HARRELL, McCLINTON,
DALEY, MADDEN, CIRESI, BULLOCK, DeLUCA, SCHWEYER AND OTTEN,
OCTOBER 15, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, OCTOBER 15, 2019
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto," in school police officers and school
resource officers, providing for training requirements for
school police officers and school security guards.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The General Assembly finds and declares as
follows:
(1) School police officers and school security guards
employed by school entities and nonpublic schools across this
Commonwealth are entrusted with securing our school
buildings, property and the safety of our students, staff,
administration and all related support staff employed in the
educational setting. These police officers and security
guards are to ensure that the youth of this Commonwealth have
a safe learning environment.
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(2) The purpose of this act is to provide for the
education, training and certification of school police
officers and school security guards as a basis of their
employment and to prescribe a course of instruction to obtain
certification.
Section 2. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
section to read:
Section 1305.1-C. Training requirements for school police
officers and school security guards.
(a) Education and training requirements.--Education and
training requirements for school police officers and school
security guards are as follows:
(1) A school police officer or school security guard
hired by a school entity or nonpublic school on or after the
effective date of this section shall complete a mandated
training course within one year of being hired.
(2) A school police officer or school security guard
hired by a school entity or nonpublic school prior to the
effective date of this section shall have a reasonable amount
of time, as determined by the board of directors of the
school entity or the administration of the nonpublic school,
to either give cause to the board's satisfaction as to why
the training should be waived or to complete the mandated
training course.
(3) An approved training course shall include the
following topics:
(i) Professionalism.
(ii) Authority as a school police officer or school
security guard.
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(iii) Report writing.
(iv) Self-defense and dealing with unruly students
and adults.
(v) Search and seizure on school property.
(vi) Testifying in court.
(vii) Working with State and local police agencies.
(viii) Lockdown and crisis procedures.
(ix) Interviewing witnesses.
(x) Preserving evidence.
(xi) The relevant provisions of this act.
(xii) Basic computer skills.
(xiii) Custody issues specific to schools.
(xiv) Crowd control.
(xv) Special events security.
(xvi) Drug identification.
(xvii) Truancy and related issues.
(4) In addition, a school police officer and school
security guard shall be certified in basic first aid,
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external
defibrillator (AED) usage.
(5) An approved training course shall include at least
60 hours of instruction.
(6) Instructors for the required course material shall
be accredited through one of the following:
(i) The department.
(ii) The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and
Delinquency.
(iii) The provisions of 53 Pa.C.S. Ch. 21 Subch. D
(relating to municipal police education and training).
(iv) The Pennsylvania State Police.
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(7) Instructors for any additional course material shall
be approved by the board of directors of a school entity or
the administration of a nonpublic school.
(b) Duty of board of directors and administration.--The
board of directors of a school entity or the administration of a
nonpublic school shall have the duty to:
(1) Adopt curriculum that is in compliance with this
section.
(2) Pay costs of certification and recertification, but
not for qualification for training.
(3) Set the date and location of the certification and
recertification courses.
(4) Maintain and file with the department a list of all
certified school police officers and school security guards
in the school entity or nonpublic school.
(c) Duty of department.--The department shall have the duty
to approve all school board-adopted or administration-adopted
policies and the authority to promulgate rules and regulations
consistent with this section and to issue certification or
recertification upon successful completion of the mandated and
approved training course.
(d) Automatic certification.--An individual who is certified
under 53 Pa.C.S. ยงยง 2167 (relating to police training), 2168
(relating to automatic certification) or 2169 (relating to in-
service training by existing personnel) shall be automatically
certified by the board of directors of a school entity or the
administration of a nonpublic school .
(e) Qualification for admission.--To qualify for admission
into a training course, the individual must meet all the
following:
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(1) Be 18 years of age or older.
(2) Have a physician attest to the individual's physical
ability to perform the duties of a school police officer or
school security guard.
(3) Have on file with both the board of directors of a
school entity or the administration of a nonpublic school and
the department the following:
(i) A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
clearance.
(ii) A completed background check under section 111.
(f) Certification.--The department shall issue a
certification to the individual upon successful completion of
the required training course. Certification may be renewed
annually upon successful completion of 20 hours of continuing
education consisting of updates to the basic curriculum or
specialized areas that the board of directors of a school entity
or administration of a nonpublic school deems necessary.
(g) Applicability.--Nothing in this section shall require or
prohibit a centralized training or recertification course.
Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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