House Amendment 1
H 4649 - Session 125 (2023-2024)
Private security services in public schools

The Committee on Education and Public Works proposes the following amendment (LC-4649.WAB0001H):

Amend the bill, as and if amended, SECTION 1, by striking Section 59-19-275 and inserting:

 Section 59-19-275. Each public school district with more than fifteen thousand students may use the services of personnel who are armed or delegated arrest authority to work on the premises of the district to promote safety and security on the premises, provided the district shall obtain proprietary security business licensure as provided in Section 40-18-60 and Section 40-18-80 and otherwise complies with the applicable requirements of those sections. The provisions of this section do not affect any requirement that a school district use the services of a school resource officer as provided by law, and security personnel hired under the authorization of this section shall not be used in the advisor or teacher roles authorized for school resources officers under Section 5-7-12 (B).

Amend the bill further, SECTION 2, by striking Section 40-18-60(A) and inserting:

 (A) An employer who utilizesuses a person who is armed, uniformed, or has been delegated arrest authority for work on the employer's premises in connection with the affairs of the employer must make application to SLED for a proprietary security business license and pay an annual license fee, set by SLED regulation.
  (1) If the applicant is an association or corporation, then the chief executive officer of the association or corporation must be the applicant or must designate in writing the corporate officer or principal who is the applicant.
  (2) If the applicant is a partnership, then all partners must complete an application form.
  (3) If the applicant is a public school district, then the board of trustees must designate in writing that the superintendent is the applicant.
  (4) The application for license must be made, under oath, on a form approved by SLED. The application must state the applicant's full name, age, date and place of birth, current residence address, residence addresses for the past ten years, employment for the past ten years, including names and addresses of employers, the applicant's current occupation with the name and address of the current employer, the date and place of any arrests, any convictions for violations of federal or state laws, and any additional information as SLED may require. Each applicant must submit with the application one complete set of the applicant's fingerprints on forms specified and furnished by SLED and one color photograph of the applicant's full face, without head covering, taken within six months of the application.

Amend the bill further, SECTION 3, by striking Section 40-18-80(A)(3) and inserting:

  (3) SLED shall implement training requirements for the initial registration and renewal registration of applicants. These training requirements may impose additional training for persons working as security officers in the school setting to enhance accountability and compliance. School district applicants must not employ any person as a security officer in a school unless the person is at least twenty-one years old, and must also have:
   (a) a full-time division solely dedicated to security and emergency management;
   (b) a written agreement with the local law enforcement agency for shared, consistent joint training and continuous education in firearms, defensive tactics, active shooter or assailant scenarios, legal updates, and other areas addressed by the local law enforcement agency; and
   (c) school district security officers recertified every two years.