HF 9 (LSB 1032YH (3) 91)

HOUSE FILE 9

BY  COLLINS

A BILL FOR

An Act establishing the school security personnel grant program within the department of education and making appropriations.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 279.84, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   279.84  School security —— school security personnel grant program.
   1.  For purposes of this section:
   a.  “Private school security officer” means an individual employed by a private security business who possesses a permit to carry weapons issued under section 724.6.
   b.  “Private security business” means the same as defined in section 80A.1.
   c.  “School resource officer” means any of the following:
   (1)  A peace officer as defined in section 801.4.
   (2)  A reserve peace officer as defined in section 80D.1A.
   2.  The board of directors of each school district with a total enrollment of at least eight thousand students shall employ, or retain the services of, at least one private school security officer or school resource officer to guard each attendance center where students enrolled in grade nine, grade ten, grade eleven, or grade twelve regularly attend classes, unless a majority of the members of the board of directors of the school district vote to not employ or retain a private school security officer or a school resource officer. A private school security officer employed or retained by the board of directors of a school district pursuant to this subsection shall be required to participate in the annual live scenario training and quarterly live firearms training approved by the department of public safety pursuant to section 724.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (3).
   3.  The board of directors of each school district with a total enrollment of less than eight thousand students is encouraged to employ, or retain the services of, at least one private school security officer or school resource officer to guard each attendance center where students enrolled in grade nine, grade ten, grade eleven, or grade twelve regularly attend classes. A private school security officer employed or retained by the board of directors of a school district pursuant to this subsection shall be required to participate in the annual live scenario training and quarterly live firearms training approved by the department of public safety pursuant to section 724.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (3).
   4.  a.  The department of education shall develop and administer a school security personnel grant program to provide annual grants to match moneys provided by school districts with a total enrollment of less than one thousand students to allow such school districts to offset costs associated with employing, or retaining the services of, a private school security officer or school resource officer. The amount of an annual grant provided by the department of education to a school district that has provided matching moneys pursuant to this subsection shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars.
   b.  A school security personnel grant program fund is established in the state treasury. The fund shall be administered by the department of education and shall consist of moneys appropriated by the general assembly and other moneys received by the department for deposit in the fund. The moneys in the fund are appropriated to the department for the school security personnel grant program. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys in the fund at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund of the state but shall remain available for expenditure for the school security personnel grant program for subsequent fiscal years.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill establishes the school security personnel grant program within the department of education (DE).
   The bill requires DE to develop and administer the program to provide annual grants to match moneys provided by school districts with a total enrollment of less than 1,000 students to allow such school districts to offset costs associated with employing, or retaining the services of, a private school security officer or school resource officer. Current law defines “private school security officer” to mean an individual employed by a private security business who possesses a permit to carry weapons issued under Code section 724.6 (professional permit to carry weapons). Additionally, current law defines “school resource officer” as either a peace officer or a reserve peace officer.
   The bill provides that the amount of an annual grant provided by DE to a school district that has provided matching moneys pursuant to this provision shall not exceed $50,000. The bill establishes a school security personnel grant program fund in the state treasury to be administered by DE.