1. PURPOSE AND PHILOSOPHY 
   The Weber School District recognizes that a safe, positive environment is essential to the education process. The District will make every reasonable effort to minimize unsafe conditions to students, employees, and the general public while on school district property. 
   
   
2. POLICY
   Weber School District and local law enforcement agencies will support and implement security and safety in school programs and procedures where learning can occur by placing a law enforcement officer in each secondary school in the District for the duration of an Interlocal Agreement, and upon renewal of an Interlocal Agreement at the discretion of both parties. This Policy does not require the District to utilize law enforcement officers from local agencies, but outlines the purpose of school-based law enforcement officers, the procedures for selecting school-based law enforcement officers, and key provisions of the Interlocal Agreement governing school-based law enforcement officers.  
   
   
3. DEFINITIONS
   1. “Agency” means all local municipalities and the Weber County Sheriff’s Office that provide SROs to the District.
   2. “School Resource Officer” or “SRO” means a law enforcement officer, as defined in Section 53-13-103, who contracts with or whose law enforcement agency contracts with the District to provide law enforcement services for the District.
   3. “Interlocal Agreement” is the agreement between the District and each Agency for the Agency to provide SROs to furnish various law enforcement services to the District, and sets forth the extent and manner in which those services are to be provided. The District will enter into an Interlocal Agreement with each Agency that provides SROs to the District.
      
      
4. SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER 
   1. Purpose:
      1. Provide for and maintain a safe, healthy, and productive learning environment in a school.
      2. Act as a positive role model to students.
      3. Work to create a cooperative, proactive, and problem-solving partnership between law enforcement and the LEA.
      4. Emphasize the use of restorative approaches to address negative behavior.
      5. Enforce local and state laws, conduct investigations into alleged violations of the law, and make referrals to the appropriate court of jurisdiction or an alternative intervention program when a violation occurs. SROs should collaborate with School Administrators when making referrals.
   2. Qualifications
      1. To serve as an SRO, an officer must first meet all of the following basic qualifications:
         1. Be a POST Certified officer and have at least one year of law enforcement experience.
         2. Have appropriate knowledge and understanding of Federal and State laws, City and County ordinances, and Board of Education policies and regulations as applicable to law enforcement in schools.
         3. Be capable of conducting in-depth criminal investigations.
         4. Possess even temperament and set a good example for students.
         5. Possess communication skills that would enable the officer to function effectively within the school environment.
         6. Attend and complete SRO training, including training required under Utah law.
   3. SRO duties are listed within each Agency’s SRO Interlocal Agreement.
   4. An SRO is considered a member of the faculty of the school where the SRO is assigned; however, SROs are not designated as School Administrators. School Administrator roles and responsibilities are distinct from SRO roles and responsibilities, as designated in the Interlocal Agreement.
      
      
5. PROCEDURES FOR SELECTING SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS
   1. Local municipalities and the Weber County Sheriff’s Office will select law enforcement officers to serve as SROs in District secondary schools.  When possible, the District will jointly discuss SRO assignments with the Agencies.  
   2. The District will provide feedback to the Agencies about an SRO’s performance.
   3. The Agency, in its sole discretion, has power and authority to hire, reassign, discharge,and discipline the SROs it employs. However, the placement of SROs will be determined by mutual agreement between the Agency and the District, and a school administrator who is dissatisfied with an SRO may request a different officer as the SRO for that school.
      
      
6. INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT KEY PROVISIONS
   1. Consistent with Utah Code Ann. §53G-8-703, the Interlocal Agreements with Agencies will include:
      1. A description of the shared understanding of the district and the law enforcement agency regarding the roles and responsibilities of law enforcement and the district to:
         1. maintain safe schools
         2. improve school climate
         3. support educational opportunities for students
      2. A designation of student offenses that, in accordance with Utah Code Ann. §53G-8-211, the SRO:
         1. may refer to the juvenile court
         2. shall confer with the LEA to resolve
         3. shall refer to a school administrator for resolution as an administrative issue with the understanding that the SRO will be informed of the outcome of the administrative issue
      3. A detailed description of the rights of a student under state and federal law with regard to:
         1. searches
         2. questioning
         3. arrests
         4. information privacy
      4. A detailed description of:
         1. job assignment and duties including:
            1. the school to which the SRO will be assigned
            2. the hours the SRO is expected to be present at the school
            3. the point of contact at the school
            4. specific responsibilities for providing and receiving information
            5. types of records to be kept, and by whom
         2. training requirements
         3. other expectations of the SRO and school administration in relation to law enforcement at the district
      5. The SRO who is hired under the contract and the principal at the school where an SRO will be working, or the principal's designee, will jointly complete the SRO training described in Section 53G-8-702;
         1. that both parties agree to jointly discuss SRO applicants
         2. that the law enforcement agency will, at least annually, seek out and accept feedback from the district about an SRO's performance.

Approved 10/2023