2023 Maryland Statutes › Education › Division II - Elementary and Secondary Education › Title 7 - Public Schools › Subtitle 15 - Maryland Safe to Learn Act › Section 7-1508 - School Safety Coordinator, School Resource Officers, and School Security Employees

(a)    (1)    Each local school system shall designate a school safety coordinator.
(2)    A designated school safety coordinator shall:
(i)    Be certified by the Center; and
(ii)    Serve as a liaison between the local school system, the local law enforcement agency, and the Center.
(b)    (1)    (i)    On or before September 1, 2018, the Center, in consultation with local school systems, shall:
1.    Develop a specialized curriculum for use in training of school resource officers and school security employees; and
2.    Submit the curriculum to the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission for approval.
(ii)    The specialized curriculum developed under this subsection shall include training in:
1.    De–escalation;
2.    Disability awareness;
3.    Maintaining a positive school climate;
4.    Constructive interactions with students; and
5.    Implicit bias and disability and diversity awareness with specific attention to racial and ethnic disparities.
(iii)    1.    The specialized curriculum developed under this subsection may not go into effect until it is approved by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission.
2.    If the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission does not initially approve the specialized curriculum, the Center shall amend the curriculum until it meets with the Commission’s approval.
(2)    On or before March 1, 2019, the Center shall develop and submit to the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission for approval a model training program that meets the requirements of the curriculum approved under paragraph (1) of this subsection.
(3)    Each local law enforcement agency shall:
(i)    Enroll individuals assigned to be school resource officers in the model training program developed by the Center under paragraph (2) of this subsection; or
(ii)    1.    Submit to the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission for approval a training program that is consistent with the curriculum developed under paragraph (1) of this subsection; and
2.    Enroll individuals assigned to be school resource officers in the training program developed under item 1 of this item.
(4)    Beginning September 1, 2019, to be assigned as a school resource officer an individual shall:
(i)    Complete:
1.    The model training program developed by the Center under paragraph (2) of this subsection through instruction provided by the Center in collaboration with the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission; or
2.    A local law enforcement agency’s training program developed under paragraph (3)(ii) of this subsection; and
(ii)    Be certified by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission.
(5)    Beginning September 1, 2019, to be employed as a school security employee at a public school, an individual shall complete:
(i)    The model training program developed by the Center under paragraph (2) of this subsection through instruction provided by the Center in collaboration with the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission; or
(ii)    A local law enforcement agency’s training program developed under paragraph (3)(ii) of this subsection.
(c)    The Center shall collect data regarding the school resource officers in each local school system, including:
(1)    The number of full–time and part–time school resource officers assigned to each elementary school, middle school, and high school; and
(2)    Any other local school system employees or local law enforcement officers who are fulfilling the role of a school resource officer.
(d)    (1)    On or before December 15, 2018, the Center, in collaboration with local law enforcement agencies and local school systems, shall analyze the initial data collected under subsection (c) of this section and develop guidelines to assist local school systems in:
(i)    Identifying the appropriate number and assignment of school resource officers, including supplemental coverage by local law enforcement agencies; and
(ii)    Collaborating and communicating with local law enforcement agencies.
(2)    On or before July 1, 2019, each local school system, in consultation with local law enforcement agencies, shall:
(i)    Develop a plan to implement the guidelines developed by the Center; and
(ii)    Submit the plan to the Center for review and comment.
(e)    (1)    Before the 2018–2019 school year begins, each local school system shall file a report with the Center identifying:
(i)    The public high  schools in the local school system’s jurisdiction that have a school resource officer assigned to the school; and
(ii)    If a public high school in the local school system’s jurisdiction is not assigned a school resource officer, the adequate local law enforcement coverage that will be provided to the public high school.
(2)    Beginning with the 2019–2020 school year, and each school year thereafter, before the school year begins, each local school system shall, in accordance with the plan developed under subsection (d)(2) of this section, file a report identifying:
(i)    The public schools in the local school system’s jurisdiction that have a school resource officer assigned to the school; and
(ii)    If a public school in the local school system’s jurisdiction is not assigned a school resource officer, the adequate local law enforcement coverage that will be provided to the public school.
(3)    On or before October 1, 2018, and each October 1 thereafter, the Center shall submit a summary of the reports required under this subsection to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly.
(f)    Each local school system shall post on the school system’s website information on the role and authority of school resource officers assigned to public schools within the school system.
(g)    (1)    For fiscal year 2020 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Governor shall include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $10,000,000 to the Fund for the purpose of providing grants to local school systems and local law enforcement agencies to assist in meeting the requirements of subsection (e) of this section.
(2)    Grants provided under this subsection shall be made to each local school system based on the number of schools in each school system in proportion to the total number of public schools in the State in the prior year.
(h)    (1)    The Center shall collect data on incidents of use of force between:
(i)    Any school resource officer and a student while a school resource officer is carrying out the officer’s duties; and
(ii)    Any school security employee and a student while the school security employee is carrying out the employee’s duties.
(2)    On or before December 1, 2020, and each December 1 thereafter, the Center shall submit a report on the data collected under paragraph (1) of this subsection for each jurisdiction, in accordance with federal and State law, to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly.