Senator Nathan Wesenberg (R-Little Falls) has drafted legislation that seeks to expand the use of School Resource Officers (SROs) in Minnesota schools. The bill would allow wages earned by these officers to be used as a tax write-off.

“Because of the Democrats’ continued spending spree that wasted millions on non-profits and funding agencies riddled with fraud, we do not have the money to pay for the number of officers that schools are asking for in Minnesota,” said Wesenberg. “My bill would allow SROs to volunteer their time and use that time as a tax write-off. I want to be clear: this is not intended to say they should work for free – it simply gives anyone who is a qualified SRO the flexibility to volunteer their free time and be compensated for their work. Due to the Democrat Deficit our state is facing, this is an attempt to provide an innovative approach to student and school safety.”

For background, the Democrats’ 2023 Education Omnibus bill included language that made SROs “agents” of the school, which altered the application of physical force, and drastically changed the way SROs were allowed to operate when using restraints. As a result, many SROs were removed from schools. Senate Republicans raised the alarm on this issue in summer 2023, but it took Democrats until February 2024 to have any interest in addressing the issue.

More recently, during an informal Gun Violence Working Group meeting, Senate Republicans floated the idea of expanding funding for additional SROs in schools. In response, one Senate Democrat referred to the use of SROs as “security theater.”

“Parents want their kids safe, and many schools have been asking for resources necessary to make that happen. My bill takes a unique approach by allowing trained SROs or police officers to volunteer their time, if they so wish, and use the time worked as a tax write off. This would allow trained professionals to work in our schools without increasing taxes, and would be an immediate step towards keeping kids safer in their schools,” said Wesenberg.

This bill has yet to be formally introduced, but Wesenberg plans to champion this issue in the 2026 legislative session.