An Act to Hire School Security Officers to Protect Students and
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1076
Sponsors: PERKINS, CYRWAY
Amends: 20-A MRSA §6556-A, 25 MRSA §2801-A, 25 MRSA §2801-B, 25 MRSA §2803-A, 25 MRSA §2804-O

Legislative Document
No. 1076
H.P. 698
House of Representatives, March 18, 2025
An Act to Hire School Security Officers to Protect Students and 
Make Schools Safer
Received by the Clerk of the House on March 14, 2025.  Referred to the Committee on 
Education and Cultural Affairs pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to 
Joint Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative PERKINS of Dover-Foxcroft.
Cosponsored by Senator CYRWAY of Kennebec and
Representatives: ARDELL of Monticello, BABIN of Fort Fairfield, MCINTYRE of Lowell, 
MINGO of Calais, NUTTING of Oakland, PAUL of Winterport, Senators: GUERIN of 
Penobscot, HARRINGTON of York.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §6556-A is enacted to read:
§6556-A.  School security officers
A municipal police department or a county sheriff's office may contract for the services 
of a school security officer as needed on a per diem basis to provide school security-related 
functions and services.  For the purposes of this section, "school security officer" has the 
same meaning as in Title 25, section 2801-A, subsection 7-B.
Sec. 2.  25 MRSA §2801-A, sub-§7-B is enacted to read:
7-B.  School security officer.  "School security officer" means a law enforcement 
officer who possesses a current and valid certificate issued by the board pursuant to section 
2803‑A, subsection 8-E and is employed by a nonfederal employer to provide security and 
protection to students and personnel of public schools.
Sec. 3.  25 MRSA §2801-B, sub-§1, ¶K, as corrected by RR 2005, c. 1, §9, is 
amended to read:
K.  A contract officer appointed by the Commissioner of Public Safety pursuant to Title 
28‑A, section 82‑A; or
Sec. 4.  25 MRSA §2801-B, sub-§1, ¶L, as reallocated by RR 2005, c. 1, §10, is 
amended to read:
L.  A transport officer.; or
Sec. 5.  25 MRSA §2801-B, sub-§1, ¶M is enacted to read:
M.  A school security officer.
Sec. 6.  25 MRSA §2803-A, sub-§8-E is enacted to read:
8-E.  Training of school security officers.  To establish certification standards and a 
preservice and in-service training program for school security officers.  This program must 
include:
A. Preservice law enforcement training under section 2804-B;
B. An additional school security officer training program developed and approved by 
the board that is specific to the duties of a school security officer; and
C. In-service law enforcement training that is specifically approved by the board as 
prescribed in section 2804-O;
Sec. 7.  25 MRSA §2804-O is enacted to read:
§2804-O.  Law enforcement training for school security officers
As a condition to the continued employment of any person as a school security officer, 
that person must successfully complete, within the first 12 months of employment, the 
training required under section 2803-A, subsection 8-E.  Thereafter, as a condition of 
continued employment as a school security officer, the school security officer must 
satisfactorily maintain the school security officer certification by completing recertification 
requirements prescribed by the board.  The board, under extenuating and emergency 
circumstances in individual cases, may extend that period for not more than 180 days.
SUMMARY
This bill creates a program, similar to the judicial marshal program, that allows 
municipal police departments and county sheriff's offices to hire personnel specifically as 
school security officers.  These officers must be trained by the Maine Criminal Justice 
Academy and must be certified as part-time law enforcement officers under the preservice 
training program.