§ 49-6-4206. Policy Authorizing School Security Officer to Patrol
As used in this section, “school security officer” means an individual who is employed exclusively by the local school board or LEA for the purpose of:
Maintaining order and discipline;
Preventing crime;
Investigating violations of school board policies;
Returning students who may be in violation of the law, school board, or LEA policies to school property or to a school-sponsored event until the officer can place the student into the custody of the school administrator or the administrator’s designee, the school resources officer, or the appropriate law enforcement officer; and
Ensuring the safety, security, and welfare of all students, faculty, staff, and visitors in an assigned school.
Each LEA may develop and adopt, in consultation with the appropriate local law enforcement agency, a policy that authorizes a school security officer employed by the LEA to patrol within a one-mile radius of the security officer’s assigned school, but not to exceed the boundaries of the assigned school’s LEA.
If an LEA adopts a policy pursuant to subsection (a) then the LEA shall file a copy of the policy with the appropriate local chief law enforcement officer.
In patrolling the one-mile radius of the school, the school security officer shall:
Only patrol for violations of the law that involve minors, including truancy; and
Immediately notify the appropriate local law enforcement agency of any violation of the law if the school security officer reasonably believes the individual committing the act to be a minor.
