• In Illinois, the Illinois House passed a proposal for more campus safety resources and personnel. HB 3244 would allow school districts to impose a tax to be used exclusively for school resource officers and mental health professionals.
• In Kentucky, the legislature sent to the governor Senate Bill 162. Under the provisions of the law schools are authorized to hire retired state police officers to serve as school resource officers.
• In Connecticut, the mayor of the City of Hamden is offering to fund school resource officers for the elementary schools. The two officers would rotate around the town’s eight elementary schools. The school board is considering the proposal.
• In South Carolina, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department is implementing the Youth Arbitration Program (YAP) in response to its own Report that suggests that too many school-based arrests are occurring. Under the YAP, all juveniles taken into custody by SROs are referred to YAP. This program allows the juvenile to receive counseling and other services without the fear of having a criminal record.