An Act to Hire School Security Officers to Protect Students and Make Schools Safer

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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
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.

Page 1 - 132LR1535(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §6556-A is enacted to read:
3§6556-A. School security officers
4 A municipal police department or a county sheriff's office may contract for the services
5 of a school security officer as needed on a per diem basis to provide school security-related
6 functions and services. For the purposes of this section, "school security officer" has the
7 same meaning as in Title 25, section 2801-A, subsection 7-B.
8Sec. 2. 25 MRSA §2801-A, sub-§7-B is enacted to read:
97-B. School security officer. "School security officer" means a law enforcement
10 officer who possesses a current and valid certificate issued by the board pursuant to section
112803‑A, subsection 8-E and is employed by a nonfederal employer to provide security and
12 protection to students and personnel of public schools.
13Sec. 3. 25 MRSA §2801-B, sub-§1, ¶K, as corrected by RR 2005, c. 1, §9, is
14 amended to read:
15 K. A contract officer appointed by the Commissioner of Public Safety pursuant to Title
1628‑A, section 82‑A; or
17Sec. 4. 25 MRSA §2801-B, sub-§1, ¶L, as reallocated by RR 2005, c. 1, §10, is
18 amended to read:
19 L. A transport officer. ; or
20Sec. 5. 25 MRSA §2801-B, sub-§1, ¶M is enacted to read:
21 M. A school security officer.
22Sec. 6. 25 MRSA §2803-A, sub-§8-E is enacted to read:
238-E. Training of school security officers. To establish certification standards and a
24 preservice and in-service training program for school security officers. This program must
25 include:
26 A. Preservice law enforcement training under section 2804-B;
27 B. An additional school security officer training program developed and approved by
28 the board that is specific to the duties of a school security officer; and
29 C. In-service law enforcement training that is specifically approved by the board as
30 prescribed in section 2804-O;
31Sec. 7. 25 MRSA §2804-O is enacted to read:
32§2804-O. Law enforcement training for school security officers
33 As a condition to the continued employment of any person as a school security officer,
34 that person must successfully complete, within the first 12 months of employment, the
35 training required under section 2803-A, subsection 8-E. Thereafter, as a condition of
36 continued employment as a school security officer, the school security officer must
37 satisfactorily maintain the school security officer certification by completing recertification
38 requirements prescribed by the board. The board, under extenuating and emergency
39 circumstances in individual cases, may extend that period for not more than 180 days.
Page 2 - 132LR1535(01)
1SUMMARY
2 This bill creates a program, similar to the judicial marshal program, that allows
3 municipal police departments and county sheriff's offices to hire personnel specifically as
4 school security officers. These officers must be trained by the Maine Criminal Justice
5 Academy and must be certified as part-time law enforcement officers under the preservice
6 training program.
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