Senator Rich Draheim (R-Madison Lake) on Thursday voted to repair the damage done by a law approved by Democrats last session that caused many law enforcement agencies to remove or alter school resource officers (SROs) until the legislature fixed the law. The bill passed the Senate on an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 61-3. It will be sent to Gov. Tim Walz for his signature or veto.

“The best and smartest fix for the ongoing SRO issue would be to simply repeal last year’s bad law that caused SROs to be removed from schools, and go back to the way things were,” Senator Draheim said. “The old law was working well and there was no need to change it. That said, I’m glad that Democrats finally listened to constructive feedback from stakeholders and Republicans.”

The Senate passed a version of the bill on Monday that included an amendment offered by Senator Draheim to grant teachers and other staff the authority to intervene to protect property in schools. That amendment was removed during a brief conference committee between members of the House and Senate on Tuesday.

“I am glad the Senate approved my amendment to allow teachers to protect the property in their classrooms, and I regret that the conference committee stripped it out,” Senator Draheim said. “It would have been the right thing to do: teachers and staff invest a lot of their own money to give students the best possible experience; they should be able to intervene to prevent students from destroying or stealing that property.”

With the start of the 2023 school year, school districts across the state found the change in language meant SRO contracts would need significant changes to meet the new law. Many law enforcement agencies removed SROs or repositioned them to be stationed outside school buildings. The short-term impact was almost immediately felt as reports of violence at schools were shared widely. Just last week, an SRO was sent to the hospital after breaking up a fight.SROs play an important role in keeping students, teachers, and school staff safe. They help mentor students to keep them on the right path, as well as refer them to helpful resources. There have been no reports of SROs harming students before the 2023 change.