School Resource Officer Supports
Pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 6-10-128, a school district board of directors may accept from a local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction a school resource officer to assist with school security, safety, emergency preparedness, emergency response, or any other responsibility assigned to the school resource officer by the school or law enforcement agency. A school resource officer shall be a certified law enforcement officer and shall have statewide jurisdiction as described under Ark. Code Ann. § 16-81-118
Memorandum of Understanding
A school district board of directors that accepts a school resource officer shall enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction, or adopt policies and procedures if the school district has an institutional law enforcement officer as described by Ark. Code Ann. § 6-13-1701 et seq., that governs the school resource officer. The MOU shall be based on a model memorandum created by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Arkansas Center for School Safety (ACSS) of the Criminal Justice Institute. The model MOU, along with supporting information, can be found on the ACSS website: https://arsafeschools.com/sample-mou/
SRO Training
Sworn, nonsupervisory law enforcement personnel, including without limitation school resource officers, who are assigned to a public school campus during the instructional day or employed by a public school district shall complete the following training:
- Forty-hour basic school resource officer training program provided or approved by ACSS, within eighteen (18) months of being assigned or employed by the public school district
- Every (5) years thereafter, complete a sixteen-hour school resource officer refresher training provided or approved by ACSS
- Obtain certification in Youth Mental Health First Aid, within eighteen (18) months of being assigned or employed by the public school district
- This training shall be maintained and renewed every four (4) years if the school resource officer remains assigned to or employed by a public school district.
- Complete twelve (12) hours annually of public school-specific continuing education provided or approved by ACSS
A school resource officer who is assigned by a public school for only extracurricular activities is exempt from these training requirements.
A school resource officer who fails to complete any required training shall be unable to serve as a school resource officer until the training is complete.
Training developed and provided by the ACSS can be found on their website: https://arsafeschools.com/
District and School Staff Training
A public school district that accepts a school resource officer or employs an institutional officer shall ensure that the school staff complete the required trainings as follows:
- Superintendent and principal shall complete a one-hour school resource officer roles and responsibilities training within nine (9) months of accepting or employing the school resource officer. This training shall be provided or approved by ACSS
- Public school district personnel directly responsible for supervising a school resource officer shall complete a one-hour school resource officer roles and responsibilities training within one (1) year of accepting or employing the school resource officer and every two (2) years thereafter. This training shall be provided or approved by ACSS
A school resource officer shall not be assigned to a public school district or a public school campus in which the superintendent, principal, or staff has not completed the required training.
Training developed and provided by the ACSS can be found on their website: https://arsafeschools.com/
Monitoring and Reporting
The ACSS shall monitor compliance with the continuing education and training requirements. This shall be done through an annual survey of school districts. Information regarding this reporting process can be found on the ACSS website at https://arsafeschools.com/act-551-and-622-2021/
Additional Resources
Arkansas Center for School Safety
National Center for School Safety
National Association of School Resource Officers
Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center (REMS TAC)
National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
