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§ 13-1314-C. School security guards

Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated StatutesTitle 24 P.S. EducationEffective: November 27, 2019

Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated Statutes
Title 24 P.S. Education
Chapter 1. Public School Code of 1949 (Refs & Annos)
Article XIII-C. School Security (Refs & Annos)
Effective: November 27, 2019
24 P.S. § 13-1314-C
§ 13-1314-C. School security guards
Currentness
(a) Scope of services.--A school security guard may provide the following services as determined by the school entity or nonpublic school:
(1) School safety support services.
(2) Enhanced campus supervision.
(3) Assistance with disruptive students.
(4) Monitoring visitors on campus.
(5) Coordination with law enforcement officials, including school police officers and school resource officers.
(6) Security functions which improve and maintain school safety.
(b) Training.--The following shall apply:
(1) Prior to entering upon the duties of the office, a school security guard shall successfully complete the Basic School Resource Officer Course offered by the National Association of School Resource Officers or an equivalent course of instruction approved by the commission.
(2) An unarmed school security guard who is employed or contracted by a school entity or nonpublic school before September 2, 2019, shall have until the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year to complete the instruction.
(3) An armed school security guard who is employed or contracted by a school entity or nonpublic school before September 2, 2019, shall have until February 28, 2020, to complete the instruction under paragraph (1) unless an extension is approved through the following process:
(i) The governing body of a school entity or nonpublic school may approve an extension of the deadline specified in this paragraph for armed school security guards to complete the required instruction due to a hardship in complying with the deadline. The deadline may be extended to no later than the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. The following shall apply:
(A) The governing body must determine that complying with the instruction deadline would present a hardship for the school entity or nonpublic school.
(B) The governing body of a school entity which is subject to 65 Pa.C.S. Ch. 7 (relating to open meetings) may discuss the issue of a hardship extension in executive session, except that approval of the hardship extension must occur at a public meeting.
(C) The school entity or nonpublic school shall submit the approved hardship extension to the Office of Safe Schools within the department not later than 15 days from the date of approval. Any documentation submitted under this clause may not be subject to the act of February 14, 2008 (P.L. 6, No. 3),1 known as the Right-to-Know Law.
(ii) For the purposes of this section, a hardship shall include any of the following:
(A) Increased risk to students, staff or visitors due to the absence of school security guards while school is in session because of compliance with the instruction deadline.
(B) Deployment or active military service, illness, family emergency, death in the immediate family or other approved leave of absence which would prevent school security guards from complying with the instruction deadline.
(c) Armed school security guards.--A school entity or nonpublic school may employ or contract with an independent contractor or a third-party vendor under section 1311-C2 for an armed school security guard if all of the following conditions are met:
(1) Except as set forth in subsection (d) or (e), the school security guard is licensed under 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 61 Subch. A (relating to Uniform Firearms Act).
(2) Except as set forth in subsection (d) or (e), the school security guard has successfully completed and is currently certified under the act of October 10, 1974 (P.L. 705, No. 235),3 known as the Lethal Weapons Training Act.
(3) The school security guard has completed the instructional requirements under subsection (b).
(4) The school security guard has satisfied the requirements under sections 111 and 111.14 and 23 Pa.C.S. § 6344 (relating to employees having contact with children; adoptive and foster parents).
(d) Active law enforcement officers.--Active law enforcement officers shall be exempt from the training requirements for school security guards under subsection (c)(1) and (2) upon presentation to the school entity or nonpublic school of evidence of their completion of the training requirements under 53 Pa.C.S. Ch. 21 Subch. D (relating to municipal police education and training).5
(e) Retired law enforcement officers.--A retired law enforcement officer shall be exempt from the training requirements for school security guards under subsection (c)(1) and (2) if the retired officer:
(1) complies with section 8.1 of the Lethal Weapons Training Act;6 or
(2) has been issued a firearm training and qualification card under section 5 of the act of December 13, 2005 (P.L. 432, No. 79),7 known as the Retired Law Enforcement Identification Act.

Credits

1949, March 10, P.L. 30, No. 14, art. XIII-C, § 1314-C, added 2018, June 22, P.L. 327, No. 44, § 3, imd. effective. Amended 2019, July 2, P.L. 406, No. 67, § 1, effective in 60 days [Sept. 3, 2019]; 2019, Nov. 27, P.L. 662, No. 91, § 2, imd. effective.

Footnotes

1
65 P.S. § 67.101 et seq.
2
24 P.S. § 13-1311-C.
3
22 P.S. § 41 et seq.
4
24 P.S. §§ 1-111 and 1-111.1.
5
53 Pa.C.S.A. § 2161 et seq.
6
22 P.S. § 48.1.
7
53 P.S. § 753.5.
24 P.S. § 13-1314-C, PA ST 24 P.S. § 13-1314-C
Current through 2023 Regular Session Act 32. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
End of Document