New Law Requires All School Security Officers To Receive POST Training
November 2019
Number 68
Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 390 on October 2, 2019. The bill will take effect on July 1, 2021. SB 390 will require all school security officers employed by a school district, charter school, county office of education, or community college district to complete a course of training developed by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services of the Department of Consumer Affairs in consultation with the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). This training course is more commonly referred to as POST training.
Under existing law, only school security officers who work more than 20 hours a week are required to complete POST training courses. Beginning July 1, 2021, this bill will require all security officers to complete the latest course of training regardless of the number of hours worked per week. The bill specifies that local educational agencies (LEAs) must provide the training to all security officers during regular work hours.
POST training takes a total of 24 hours to complete. The course consists of components including: (1) role and responsibility of school security officers; (2) laws and liability; (3) security awareness in the educational environment; (4) mediation/conflict resolution; (5) disasters and emergencies; (6) dynamics of student behavior; and (7) a one hour exam.
Under the new law a "security officer" is any person primarily employed or assigned to provide security services as a watchperson, security guard, patrolperson on or about premises owned or operated by an LEA to protect persons or property or to prevent the theft or unlawful taking of LEA property of any kind or to report any unlawful activity to the LEA and local law enforcement agencies.
The new law will not require LEAs to provide training to security officers who are not employees of the LEA, including security officers who work on the property of the LEA pursuant to a contract with a private licensed security agency.
If you have any questions about SB 390, POST training for school security officers, or to discuss any other labor and employment issues, please contact the authors of this Client News Brief or an attorney at one of our eight offices located statewide. You can also subscribe to our podcast, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn or download our mobile app.
Number 68
Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 390 on October 2, 2019. The bill will take effect on July 1, 2021. SB 390 will require all school security officers employed by a school district, charter school, county office of education, or community college district to complete a course of training developed by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services of the Department of Consumer Affairs in consultation with the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). This training course is more commonly referred to as POST training.
Under existing law, only school security officers who work more than 20 hours a week are required to complete POST training courses. Beginning July 1, 2021, this bill will require all security officers to complete the latest course of training regardless of the number of hours worked per week. The bill specifies that local educational agencies (LEAs) must provide the training to all security officers during regular work hours.
POST training takes a total of 24 hours to complete. The course consists of components including: (1) role and responsibility of school security officers; (2) laws and liability; (3) security awareness in the educational environment; (4) mediation/conflict resolution; (5) disasters and emergencies; (6) dynamics of student behavior; and (7) a one hour exam.
Under the new law a "security officer" is any person primarily employed or assigned to provide security services as a watchperson, security guard, patrolperson on or about premises owned or operated by an LEA to protect persons or property or to prevent the theft or unlawful taking of LEA property of any kind or to report any unlawful activity to the LEA and local law enforcement agencies.
The new law will not require LEAs to provide training to security officers who are not employees of the LEA, including security officers who work on the property of the LEA pursuant to a contract with a private licensed security agency.
Takeaways
Because the POST training will be a condition of employment with an LEA for all school security officers starting July 1, 2021, school districts, charter schools, county offices of education, and community college districts that employ security officers or contract for security services will need to either provide training or ensure that the contracting agencies provide the training prior to the deadline.If you have any questions about SB 390, POST training for school security officers, or to discuss any other labor and employment issues, please contact the authors of this Client News Brief or an attorney at one of our eight offices located statewide. You can also subscribe to our podcast, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn or download our mobile app.
As the information contained herein is necessarily general, its application to a particular set of facts and circumstances may vary. For this reason, this News Brief does not constitute legal advice. We recommend that you consult with your counsel prior to acting on the information contained herein.
