8407 - SAFE-SCHOOL OFFICERS

1. Safe-School Officers Generally
    
   1. For the protection and safety of students, school personnel, visitors, and property, the District shall partner with local law enforcement agencies to establish or assign one or more safe-school officers at each school in the District. Further, the Board will collaborate with charter school governing boards located in the District to support access to all safe-school officer options available pursuant to Florida law.
   2. For purposes of this policy, safe-school officers include school resource officers and Specialists – Safety and Security.
2. School Resource Officers
    
   1. The Board will enter into cooperative agreements with law enforcement agencies for the provision of school resource officers.  School resource officers must be certified law enforcement officers as defined in F.S. 943.10(1) and employed by a law enforcement agency as defined in F.S. 943.10(4).  School resource officers shall:
       
      1. undergo criminal background checks, drug testing, and a psychological evaluation as part of their employment with their respective agency;
      2. abide by Board policies and consult with and coordinate activities through school principals when appropriate; and
      3. complete mental health crisis intervention training using a curriculum developed by a national organization with expertise in mental health crisis intervention.  Such training must be designed to improve school resource officers’ knowledge and skills as first responders to incidents involving students with emotional disturbance or mental illness, including de-escalation skills to ensure student and officer safety.
      4. The Office of District and Security shall verify that all statutorily required training for School Resource Officers (SROs) has been completed.  Although training records are maintained by each respective law enforcement agency, the District may request copies of the necessary documentation to support District-level verification. 
      5. If an SRO has not completed required training, the District will formally request that the employing law enforcement agency ensure that officer is enrolled in and completes the next available training course and provides the District with a copy of the corresponding certification upon completion.  
   2. With respect to matters relating to employment, school resource officers shall be responsible to their law enforcement agency, subject to agreements between the Board and law enforcement agency.  Activities conducted by school resource officers which are part of the regular instructional program of schools, shall be under the direction of school principals.
   3. The powers and duties of law enforcement officers shall continue throughout school resource officers' tenure.
   4. In addition to during the regular school day, Safe-School officers shall be assigned as follows:
       
      1. Summer School
         
         No fewer than one Safe-School officer shall be assigned at each school site during summer school on days when students are in attendance.
          
      2. Extra-curricular Activities
         
         At the discretion of principals, no fewer than one Safe-School officer shall be assigned to be present during extra-curricular activities, depending on crowd size and other factors regarding safety concerns.
          
      3. School-Sponsored Events
         
         No fewer than one Safe-School officer shall be assigned to the following school-sponsored events:
          
         1. Graduation;
             
         2. Grad-night or other similar graduation night activities;
             
         3. Prom;
             
      4. Homecoming dances.
3. Specialists and Guardians – Safety and Security
    
   1. In accordance with F.S. 1006.12, the Board has adopted a hybrid model through the use of Specialists and Guardians. This model includes the hiring of qualified individuals that meet the requirements set forth in F.S. 30.15. These individuals are trained and supervised by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office through a cooperative agreement. In addition to adhering to Board policies and procedures, all Specialists and Guardians are responsible for adhering to the policies and procedures of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office related to their assignment.
   2. It is the intent of the Board to utilize the Specialists and Guardians pursuant to The Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program. Specialists and Guardians do not have the power of arrest or the authority to act in any law enforcement capacity except to the extent necessary to prevent or abate an active assailant incident.
   3. Prior to appointing Specialists and Guardians, the Superintendent must provide the Board with evidence from the Brevard County Sheriff demonstrating that potential Specialists and Guardians have met all the requirements set forth in F.S. 30.15.
   4. The identity of Specialists and Guardians is confidential and exempt under Florida law.
   5. The Office of District and School Security must report to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) the name, date of birth, and appointment date of each person appointed as a guardian, as well as the date of separation if a guardian leaves the assignment.
4. Notification of Incidents Involving Safe-School Officer Discipline and Firearm Discharge
   
   In accordance with Section 1006.12(5), Florida Statutes, the District School Superintendent, Charter School Administrator, or their designee shall notify the Florida Department of Educations' Office of Safe Schools, Brevard County Sheriff, and the Board Chair when a safe-school officer assigned to any district school or school facility has been disciplined for misconduct or dismissed from duties by their employer. This requirement applies to all safe-school officers employed or assigned by a school district, charter school, law enforcement agency, or private security company, including circumstances in which the officer is reassigned or transferred to another school or location.
   
   For the purposes of this policy, safe-school officer misconduct includes:

1. Any behavior that negatively impacts the safety of the school, its students, or its staff; or
2. Any offense involving gross immorality or acts of moral turpitude, as defined in Rule 6A-10.083, Florida Administrative Code.
3. A safe-school officer discharges his/her firearm in the exercise of his/her duties other than for training purposes.

Notification to the Office of Safe Schools must be submitted no later than seventy-two (72) hours following the disciplinary action, dismissal, or reassignment.  District personnel shall complete and submit Form SSON-2023 to SafeSchools@fldoe.org to satisfy this reporting requirement.  

Revised 9/10/19
Reviewed 3/12/24
Revised 10/15/24
Revised 11/18/25
Revised 3/10/26

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