Do Not Forget Your SRO and Safety Plans

The past three months have been unexpected to say the least. Now that the school year is complete and the budget vote is over, it is time to plan for next year. Most of us are questioning what next year will look like. While you navigate the post-COVID world, do not lose sight of your “school resource officer” (SRO) agreements and how they are related to your safety plan requirements.

Where a school district uses an SRO as part of its building security, the district must establish a written contract or memorandum of understanding. This agreement must be developed with the input of stakeholders and contain certain contractual language. The agreement must also be consistent with the school district’s code of conduct. New this year, the agreement must be compliant with the new Education Law Section 2-d regulations.

Timing for your SRO agreement is critical. Districts must incorporate their SRO agreements into the district-wide school safety plan. The Commissioner’s Regulations require a public comment period and public hearing prior to adopting the district-wide school safety plan. The district-wide school safety plan must be made available for public comment at least 30 days prior to adoption, and there must be at least one public hearing that allows school employees, parents, students and anyone else interested to comment on the plan. Safety plans must be adopted and submitted to the Commissioner by October 1.

This process may be cumbersome and will be difficult to complete if ii is started in August. As such, we recommend you consider starting your contract negotiations now. Additionally, because we do not know what next year will bring, consider revising your traditional SRO agreement to reflect the uncertainty districts are facing from potential state aid cuts to changes in the traditional classroom environment.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.