Friends,
On Thursday, I voted to repair the damage done by the misguided school resource officer law Democrats passed last year.
In 2023, the Democrat majority rammed through a law that prevented SROs from doing their jobs, without consulting law enforcement experts, parents, and even educators. Their legislation skipped over crucial steps, which meant legitimate concerns were ignored.
The Democrats’ SRO law was an immediate failure. SROs who act as mentors and first responders in dangerous situations were pulled from schools, leaving students and staff in dangerous situations. We saw an unsettling rise in reports of violence, including a recent incident where an SRO was hospitalized after breaking up a fight. This is unacceptable.
The easiest fix would have been to repair their bad law and go back to the way things were before 2023. Democrats refused to do that. For the last 8 months, Republicans have been fighting to make the solution to this issue a bipartisan one. Democrats’ hyperpartisanship created the problem in the first place; the only way to have a lasting outcome is to involve all stakeholders as well as Republican voices – the way it should have happened in the first place.
The bill that passed the Senate today will allow SROs to return to their vital roles of protecting students and staff in our schools. It was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support – only three senators voted against it.
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 were no reports of SROs harming students before the 2023 change. I am eager to see them return to schools as quickly as possible.
Please let me know if you have any other thoughts or concerns.