(a) A "School Resource Officer (SRO)" is defined as any law enforcement officer assigned to one or more public schools within a local school administrative unit, as defined in G.S. 115C-5(6), who works in a school at least 20 hours per week for more than 12 weeks per calendar year to assist with all of the following: (1) School safety; (2) School security; (3) Emergency preparedness; (4) Emergency response; and (5) Any additional responsibilities related to school safety or security assigned by the officer's employer while the officer is acting as a School Resource Officer. Any written memorandum of understanding between the local school administrative unit and the law enforcement agency governing the School Resource Officer shall be consistent with this Paragraph. (b) Law enforcement officers assigned by their agency to perform duties as a School Resource Officer shall: (1) have been issued general certification by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standard Commission as a law enforcement officer; and (2) have until December 31, 2020, to complete the Basic School Resource Officer Training course, if they are acting in the capacity of a School Resource Officer between October 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019. Any officer assigned as a School Resource Officer effective January 1, 2020 or later shall complete the School Resource Officer Training course pursuant to Paragraph (f) of this Rule, within one year after being assigned as a School Resource Officer. Law enforcement officers who previously completed the training pursuant to Paragraph (f) of this Rule and who have been continually assigned as an SRO pursuant to Paragraph (a) of this Rule shall be credited with completion of the Basic School Resource Officer Training. (c) A law enforcement officer assigned to one or more public schools within a local school administrative unit, who works in a school at least 20 hours per week for more than 12 weeks per calendar year and who has not completed the initial training as established by Paragraph (f) of this Rule shall not work in a school as a School Resource Officer until the officer has completed the initial training as established by Paragraph (f) of this Section. (d) The agency head shall submit to the Criminal Justice Standard Division a Form F-20 Commission School Resource Officer Assignment Form for the person(s) selected to act as a School Resource Officer for the agency. The Form F-20 is located on the agency's website: https://ncdoj.gov/getdoc/576c353c-0dcb-4c84-8cc4-c9d17985541f/SRO-form.aspx and must be completed in its entirety. The Commission School Resource Officer Assignment Form consists of the following: (1) applicants name; (2) date of birth; (3) social security number; (4) name of agency and address; (5) date awarded general certification; (6) completion date of School Resource Officer training; and (7) date assigned as a School Resource Officer. (e) The term of certification as a School Resource Officer shall be indefinite, provided the School Resource Officer completes during each calendar year a one hour Basic School Resource Officer refresher training authored by North Carolina Justice Academy. For School Resource Officers who complete the basic SRO training requirement in 2020 or earlier, this requirement shall be effective January 1, 2021. For SROs, this requirement shall be effective the year following the officer's successful completion of the Basic School Resource Officer Training course. A certified School Resource Officer who has not completed the refresher training during a calendar year as established by this Rule shall not work in a school as a School Resource Officer until the officer has completed the required refresher training as established by this Rule. (f) The Basic School Resource Officer Training course for law enforcement officers shall provide the trainee with the skills and knowledge to perform in the capacity of a School Resource Officer. The Basic School Resource Officer Training course authored by the North Carolina Justice Academy shall be used as the curriculum for this training course. Copies of this publication may be inspected at the office of the agency: and may be obtained at the cost of printing and postage from the North Carolina Justice Academy at the following address:

Salemburg, North Carolina 28385

(a) Definition. -- For purposes of this section, the term "qualifying public school unit" refers to a local school administrative unit, regional school, innovative school, laboratory school, or charter school. (b) Program; Purpose. -- The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall establish the School Resource Officer Grants Program (Program). To the extent funds are made available for the Program, its purpose shall be to improve safety in qualifying public school units by providing grants for school resource officers. (c) Grant Applications. -- A qualifying public school unit may submit an application to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for one or more grants pursuant to this section. The application shall include an assessment, to be performed in conjunction with a local law enforcement agency, of the need for improving school safety within the qualifying public school unit that would receive the funding. The application shall identify current and ongoing needs and estimated costs associated with those needs. (e) Award of Funds. -- From funds made available for grants for school resource officers, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall award grants to qualifying public school units for school resource officers in elementary and middle schools, as follows: (3) Training shall be provided, in partnership with the qualifying public school unit, by a community college, a local law enforcement agency, or the North Carolina Justice Academy. Any training shall include instruction on research into the social and cognitive development of elementary school and middle school children.

(61)  To Provide a Safe School Environment. -- Local boards of education may enter into an agreement with the sheriff, chief of police of a local police department, or chief of police of a county police department to provide security at the schools by assigning volunteer school safety resource officers who meet the selection Standard and criteria developed by the head of the appropriate local law enforcement agency and the criteria set out in G.S. 162-26 or G.S. 160A-288.4, as appropriate.

(a) The chief of police of a local police department or of a county police department may establish a volunteer school safety resource officer program to provide nonsalaried special law enforcement officers to serve as school safety resource officers in public schools. To be a volunteer in the program, a person must have prior experience as either (i) a sworn law enforcement officer or (ii) a military police officer with a minimum of two years' service. If a person with experience as a military police officer is no longer in the armed services, the person must also have an honorable discharge. A program volunteer must receive training on research into the social and cognitive development of elementary, middle, and high school children and must also meet the selection Standard and any additional criteria established by the chief of police. (b) Each volunteer shall report to the chief of police and shall work under the direction and supervision of the chief of police or the chief's designee when carrying out the volunteer's duties as a school safety resource officer. No volunteer may be assigned to a school as a school safety resource officer until the volunteer has updated or renewed the volunteer's law enforcement training and has been certified by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standard Commission as meeting the educational and firearms proficiency Standard required of persons serving as criminal justice officers. A volunteer is not required to meet the physical Standard required by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standard Commission but must have a standard medical exam to ensure the volunteer is in good health. A person selected by the chief of police to serve as a volunteer under this section shall have the power of arrest while performing official duties as a volunteer school safety resource officer. (c) The chief of police may enter into an agreement with the local board of education to provide volunteer school safety resource officers who meet both the criteria established by this section and the selection and training requirements set by the chief of police of the municipality or county in which the schools are located. The chief of police shall be responsible for the assignment of any volunteer school safety resource officer assigned to a public school and for the supervision of the officer. (d) There shall be no liability on the part of and no cause of action shall arise against a volunteer school safety resource officer, the chief of police or employees of the local law enforcement agency supervising a volunteer school safety officer, or the public school system or its employees for any good-faith action taken by them in the performance of their duties with regard to the volunteer school safety resource officer program established pursuant to this section.

(a) The sheriff may establish a volunteer school safety resource officer program to provide nonsalaried special deputies to serve as school safety resource officers in public schools. To be a volunteer in the program, a person must have prior experience as either (i) a sworn law enforcement officer or (ii) a military police officer with a minimum of two years' service. If a person with experience as a military police officer is no longer in the armed services, the person must also have an honorable discharge. A program volunteer must receive training on research into the social and cognitive development of elementary, middle, and high school children and must also meet the selection Standard and any additional criteria established by the sheriff. (b) Each volunteer shall report to the sheriff and shall work under the direction and supervision of the sheriff or the sheriff's designee when carrying out the volunteer's duties as a school safety resource officer. No volunteer may be assigned to a school as a school safety resource officer until the volunteer has updated or renewed the volunteer's law enforcement training and has been certified by the North Carolina Sheriff's Education and Training Standard Commission as meeting the educational and firearms proficiency Standard required of persons serving as special deputy sheriffs. A volunteer is not required to meet the physical Standard required by the North Carolina Sheriff's Education and Training Standard Commission but must have a standard medical exam to ensure the volunteer is in good health. A person selected by the sheriff to serve as a volunteer under this section shall have the power of arrest while performing official duties as a volunteer school safety resource officer. (c) The sheriff may enter into an agreement with the local board of education to provide volunteer school safety resource officers who meet both the criteria established by this section and the selection and training requirements set by the sheriff of the county for the schools. The sheriff shall be responsible for the assignment of any volunteer school safety resource officer assigned to a public school and for the supervision of the officer. (d) There shall be no liability on the part of and no cause of action shall arise against a volunteer school safety resource officer, the Sheriff or employees of the sheriff supervising a volunteer school safety officer, or the public school system or its employees for any good-faith action taken by them in the performance of their duties with regard to the volunteer school safety resource officer program established pursuant to this section.