FRANKFORT – Legislation designed to increase the pool of qualified applicants to be school resource officers passed the state Senate today with no dissent.
The measure, known as Senate Bill 162, would create the Kentucky State Police school resource officer designation (SRO). It would do this, in part, by specifying the requirements of employment of a state police SRO. Sponsor Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, said another provision of SB 162 would exempt a school district from paying retirement fund contributions on a retired state police SRO employed as a school security officer.
“I think it is imperative as we move forward with school safety that we make sure that we have enough officers to fill the positions of school resource officers in our various school districts across the state,” said Carroll in reference to another school safety measure advancing this session. “This will simply create a larger pool of officers … that school districts can hire from to work in their schools.”
The other school safety measure is Senate Bill 1, which passed the Senate earlier this month by a 35-0 vote and is now under consideration in the House. Known as the School Safety and Resiliency Act, SB 1 would create a state school safety marshal, similar to the state fire marshal. SB 1 would also establish a framework for schools to expand the use of school resource officers.
SB 1 was the product of testimony, research and study over eight months by the nonpartisan School Safety Working Group. Legislators formed the group in response to the western Kentucky shooting at Marshall County High School last winter in Benton. The community is located in Carroll’s district.
SB 1’s sponsor, Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville, praised Carroll’s SB 162.
“This is a complement to Senate Bill 1,” said Wise, who is also chairman of the Senate Education Committee. “This will … help our school resource officers and school districts across the commonwealth.”
He added that there would be a third school safety measure to include funding for some of SB 1’s provisions during next year’s regular session. That’s when the General Assembly is tasked with passing the state’s next biennium budget.
SB 162 passed the Senate by a 36-0 vote. The measure now goes to the House of Representatives for its consideration.
