An Act relative to increasing the safety and security in schools

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Josh Tarsky

Creates School Resource Officer Fund to finance SROs in MA schools when local funds are insufficient, supported by state money, gifts, grants, and interest, with annual reporting.

Summary: An Act relative to increasing the safety and security in schools (House Docket No. 444)

Purpose and intent

Create a dedicated funding mechanism to enhance safety and security in Massachusetts schools by supporting the assignment of School Resource Officers (SROs).

Enable state-level facilitation of SRO resources when local districts lack sufficient funds to hire or maintain an SRO.

Key provisions

Establishment of the School Resource Officer Fund

A separate fund on the books of the Commonwealth to be administered by the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Funds credited to the fund may come from:
Appropriations or money designated by the General Court for this purpose
Public and private sources, including gifts, grants, and donations
Interest earned on money in the fund

Use of the fund

The Commissioner may make expenditures from the fund without requiring a separate appropriation.
Expenditures are for funding the assignment of SROs in schools to cities, towns, regional school districts, and the Department of State Police, under the authority of section 37P of chapter 71.
Availability of funds is contingent on the Commissioner determining that the local entity (city, town, or school district) lacks sufficient resources to otherwise assign an SRO.

Accountability and reporting

Annually, no later than July 1, the Commissioner must submit a report on the fund’s activities to:
The clerks of the Massachusetts House and Senate
The House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means
The Joint Committee on Education
The Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Affected parties

Primary beneficiaries: students, school staff, and communities where SROs are deployed or funded through the new fund.

Local governments and school districts (cities, towns, and regional school districts) that would receive state funding for SROs when they cannot otherwise finance them.

State agencies: Department of State Police and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (administrator of the fund).

Procedural and timeline considerations

Funding mechanism established within Chapter 29 through adding new Section 2KKKKKK.

Expenditures from the fund do not require additional general appropriation.

Annual reporting requirement begins after fund establishment (no specific start date provided beyond enactment language).

The bill references existing authority under section 37P of chapter 71 for SRO deployment.

Potential impacts and considerations

Could increase SRO presence in schools where local funding is insufficient, potentially enhancing safety and incident response.

Creates a diverse funding stream (public/private gifts and interest) to support SROs, which may raise considerations about monitoring, accountability, and long-term sustainability.

Local autonomy may shift as state funds help cover SRO costs in resource-constrained districts.

Note: The version provided indicates the bill was introduced and filed in early 2025 (House, No. 3942) and centers on creating the School Resource Officer Fund to finance SRO assignments in schools.