HB2275 passes with a 5-0 vote in the Public Safety Committee

Phoenix AZ

15 March, 2020

11:40 PM

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Rep. Alma Hernandez, D-Tucson, knows firsthand what it's like to be failed by the Arizona education system when it comes to school safety. "When I was 14 years old, at the Sunnyside School District, I was actually attacked by a school resource officer," said Hernandez. "I was attacked by two women who were seniors that confused me for someone else and the officer immediately attacked me, and I was kicked out of high school and I was sent to juvie (Juvenile Hall) for something that I didn't do," said Hernandez. "I spent a year and a half having to prove my innocence in our broken system." "That is the reason why I am really passionate about this," said Hernandez. Hernandez introduced HB2275, a bill that not only authorizes school resource officers (SROs) to respond to any suspected crime on school campuses, but also mandates that all SROs who serve on school grounds complete a basic SRO course, along with adolescent mental health training, by Jan. 1, 2021. "I have struggled a bit because I suffer from severe spinal damage to the left side of my body from the incident," said Hernandez. "It's something that I know could have been prevented if there was proper training for these officers." HB2275 also appropriates $173,250 from the state General Fund (GF) in fiscal year 2021 to the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to distribute to school districts and charter schools to cover the costs of the basic SRO training course, and appropriates $68,250 from the GF in fiscal year 2021 to ADE to distribute to school districts and charter schools to cover the costs of adolescent mental health training for SROs. Sarah Lindstrom Johnson, an assistant professor at The T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at ASU in Tempe, said that the Arizona Department of Education has a very effective school safety program that they already implement. The School Safety Program is a state-funded grant that places school counselors, school social workers, and SROs in selected schools to contribute to safe school environments that are conducive to teaching and learning, according to the ADE website. "Certain school safety staff that are funded through this program are required to go through very rigorous training," said Lindstrom Johnson. "It includes similar standards that are advocated for in this bill but it also includes a teaming approach." Lindstrom Johnson said that a team of individuals other than the SROs are also required to go to training, such as the school administrator and other individuals from the school so that they can work together towards solutions. This is the exact same training that Hernandez wants to make mandatory for all SROs in Arizona. "We are asking all school resource officers to have the training that the Department of Education is already providing," said Hernandez. According to the ADE website, School Safety Program officers maintain a visible presence on campus, deter delinquent and violent behaviors, serve as an available resource to the school community and provide students and staff with Law-related Education (LRE) instruction and training, which prepares students for responsible citizenship by promoting the development of those characteristics that lead to healthy behavior. Kelsy Pizano, a 5th grade teacher at Fuller Elementary School in Tempe, believes that SROs should be on school campuses to help with discipline when teachers are not able to on their own, but also to provide a sense of safety and support for the students. "If students had someone that they knew was there to keep them safe and to support them and to be a friendly face that they can turn to for anything, whether it's emotional support, or a safety concern, knowing that they're trained to do those things might make the students feel better," said Pizano. Pizano also has experience working in both middle school and high school environments. "These students, especially middle school students, don't know how to regulate their flaring emotions just yet," said Pizano. "Having a school resource officer on campus who is trained in adolescent mental health could be very helpful." HB2275 was passed with a 5-0 vote in the Public Safety Committee and is now headed to The Appropriations Committee.