Add §§2801-c & 3039, amd §1950, Ed L; amd §2.10, CP L; amd §212, R & SS L
Establishes the New York state school resource officer program; provides for grants for school resource officers (Part A); relates to peace officers who are retired police officers employed by a school district as a school resource officer (Part B); allows retired police officers to be employed by a school district as a school safety officer, school security officer or any other substantially similar position for an annual salary of $50,000 or less to continue to receive their full retirement benefit (Part C).
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4893
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 14, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. GALLIVAN, BORRELLO, OBERACKER, ROLISON -- read twice
and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee
on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to a school resource
officer program and providing school resource officer security
protection aid (Part A); to amend the criminal procedure law, in
relation to peace officers who are retired police officers employed by
a school district as a school resource officer (Part B); and to amend
the retirement and social security law, in relation to annual earnings
limitations for retired police officers employed as school resource
officers (Part C)
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. This act enacts into law components of legislation relating
2 to school safety. Each component is wholly contained within a Part iden-
3 tified as Parts A through C. The effective date for each particular
4 provision contained within such Part as set forth in the last section of
5 such Part. Any provision in any section contained within a Part, includ-
6 ing the effective date of the Part, which makes a reference to a section
7 "of this act", when used in connection with that particular component,
8 shall be deemed to mean and refer to the corresponding section of the
9 Part in which it is found. Section three of this act sets forth the
10 general effective date of this act.
11 PART A
12 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 2801-c
13 to read as follows:
14 § 2801-c. New York state school resource officer program. 1. For
15 purposes of this section, the term "school resource officer" shall mean
16 a school resource officer, school safety officer, school security offi-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03511-02-5
S. 4893 2
1 cer, or any other substantially similar position or office, that is
2 designed to provide improved public safety and/or security on school
3 grounds. Such school resource officer may be a retired police officer, a
4 retired state trooper, a retired deputy sheriff, a state trooper, a
5 police officer in the active duty service of a town, city or village, or
6 a deputy sheriff from a county sheriff's department.
7 2. Any public, nonpublic or charter school, or a board of cooperative
8 educational services, may employ, in either the classified or unclassi-
9 fied service, any school resource officer for the purpose of providing
10 improved public safety and/or security on school grounds. Any such
11 public, nonpublic or charter school, or a board of cooperative educa-
12 tional services, may also contract with the state of New York, or a
13 county, city, town or village, for the provision of a state trooper,
14 police officer or deputy sheriff, to serve as a school resource officer,
15 for the purpose of providing improved public safety and/or security on
16 school grounds. A school district, nonpublic school, charter school, or
17 a board of cooperative educational services, shall be authorized to
18 employ or contract for as many school resource officers as such district
19 deems necessary.
20 3. It shall be the primary role of the school resource officer to
21 provide improved public safety and/or security on school grounds. In
22 addition, to this primary role, school resource officers also may serve
23 additional roles, including but not limited to:
24 (a) Proposing and enforcing policies and administrative procedures
25 related to school safety;
26 (b) Utilizing technology in the implementation of a comprehensive
27 safety program;
28 (c) Serving as a liaison with other school officials and other commu-
29 nity agencies, including but not limited to, other law enforcement enti-
30 ties, courts, health care entities, and mental health entities;
31 (d) Proposing and implementing strategies concerning prevention,
32 response and recovery efforts for incidents and/or emergency situations
33 occurring on school grounds and/or involving students, faculty, adminis-
34 tration or visitors to the school;
35 (e) Proposing and assisting in the execution of school emergency
36 drills and proposing and assisting in the creation of school safety
37 plans;
38 (f) Providing educational and mentoring services to students;
39 (g) Assisting in the design, explanation and enforcement of school
40 safety and security policies and procedures; and
41 (h) Performing such other and further roles, responsibilities and
42 activities as the school district may deem appropriate and proper for a
43 law enforcement officer to perform, in order to advance the security,
44 safety and well-being of students, faculty, administration and visitors
45 to the school district's schools, transportation vehicles and school
46 grounds.
47 4. Such school resource officer may carry and possess firearms during
48 the course of their duties at such school district, nonpublic school,
49 charter school, or a board of cooperative educational services, but
50 nothing in this subdivision shall be deemed to authorize such school
51 resource officer to carry, possess, repair or dispose of a firearm
52 unless the appropriate license therefor has been issued pursuant to
53 section 400.00 of the penal law.
54 § 2. Subparagraph 1 of paragraph d of subdivision 4 of section 1950 of
55 the education law, as amended by chapter 474 of the laws of 1996, is
56 amended and a new subparagraph 1-a is added to read as follows:
S. 4893 3
1 (1) Aidable shared services. At the request of component school
2 districts, and with the approval of the commissioner, provide any of the
3 following services on a cooperative basis: school nurse teacher, attend-
4 ance supervisor, supervisor of teachers, dental hygienist, psychologist,
5 school resource officer, as such term is defined in section twenty-eight
6 hundred one-c of this title, teachers of art, music, physical education,
7 career education subjects, guidance counsellors, operation of special
8 classes for students with disabilities, as such term is defined in arti-
9 cle eighty-nine of this chapter; pupil and financial accounting service
10 by means of mechanical equipment; maintenance and operation of cafeteria
11 or restaurant service for the use of pupils and teachers while at
12 school, and such other services as the commissioner may approve. Such
13 cafeteria or restaurant service may be used by the community for school
14 related functions and activities and to furnish meals to the elderly
15 residents of the district, sixty years of age or older. Utilization by
16 elderly residents or school related groups shall be subject to the
17 approval of the board of education. Charges shall be sufficient to bear
18 the direct cost of preparation and serving of such meals, exclusive of
19 any other available reimbursements.
20 (1-a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule, or regulation
21 to the contrary, school resource officers may be requested by charter
22 schools and school districts for up to six days per week throughout the
23 entire school year.
24 § 3. Paragraph h of subdivision 4 of section 1950 of the education law
25 is amended by adding two new subparagraphs 14 and 15 to read as follows:
26 (14) To enter into contracts with charter schools to provide school
27 resource officers, as such term is defined in section twenty-eight
28 hundred one-c of this title, provided that the costs of such school
29 resource officers shall be aidable pursuant to subdivision five of this
30 section to the same extent and on the same basis as costs allocated to a
31 component school district, and further provided that the aid ratio shall
32 be the aid ratio for the public school district where the charter school
33 is located, and further provided that charter schools shall not be
34 liable for payment of administrative expenses as defined in paragraph b
35 of this subdivision.
36 (15) To enter into contracts with non-component school districts
37 including city school districts of cities with one hundred twenty-five
38 thousand inhabitants or more, to provide school resource officers, as
39 such term is defined in section twenty-eight hundred one-c of this
40 title, provided that the costs of such school resource officers shall be
41 aidable pursuant to subdivision five of this section to the same extent
42 and on the same basis as costs allocated to a component school district,
43 and further provided that non-component school districts shall not be
44 liable for payment of administrative expenses as defined in paragraph b
45 of this subdivision.
46 § 4. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3039 to read
47 as follows:
48 § 3039. Grants for school resource officers. 1. For purposes of this
49 section, school resource officers shall have the same meaning as defined
50 in section twenty-eight hundred one-c of this chapter.
51 2. Nonpublic schools shall, upon application, be reimbursed by the
52 department for the salaries of school resource officers. Each school
53 which seeks a reimbursement pursuant to this section shall submit to the
54 office of religious and independent schools an application therefor,
55 together with such additional documents as the commissioner may reason-
56 ably require, at such times, in such form and containing such informa-
S. 4893 4
1 tion as the commissioner may prescribe by regulation. Applications for
2 reimbursement pursuant to this section must be received by August first
3 of each year for schools to be reimbursed for the salaries of eligible
4 school resource officers in the prior year.
5 3. The commissioner may promulgate any rules or regulations necessary
6 to carry out the provisions of this section.
7 § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
8 PART B
9 Section 1. Section 2.10 of the criminal procedure law is amended by
10 adding a new subdivision 88 to read as follows:
11 88. Retired police officers employed by a school district, nonpublic
12 school, charter school, or a board of cooperative educational services,
13 as a school resource officer; provided, however, that nothing in this
14 subdivision shall be deemed to authorize such officer to carry, possess,
15 repair or dispose of a firearm unless the appropriate license therefor
16 has been issued pursuant to section 400.00 of the penal law.
17 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
18 PART C
19 Section 1. Section 212 of the retirement and social security law is
20 amended by adding a new subdivision 4 to read as follows:
21 4. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions one and two of this
22 section, such annual earnings limitations for a retired police officer
23 employed by a school district or a board of cooperative educational
24 services, in either the classified or unclassified service as a school
25 resource officer, school safety officer, school security officer or any
26 other substantially similar position or office that is designed to
27 provide safety and/or security on school grounds, provided that such
28 retired police officer is duly qualified, competent and physically fit
29 for performance of the duties of the position in which they are to be
30 employed as determined by the school district or board of cooperative
31 educational services and is properly certified where such certification
32 is required, shall be fifty thousand dollars for the year two thousand
33 twenty-six and thereafter.
34 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
35 § 2. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi-
36 sion, section or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of
37 competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect,
38 impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in
39 its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section
40 or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judg-
41 ment shall have been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of
42 the legislature that this act would have been enacted even if such
43 invalid provisions had not been included herein.
44 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
45 the applicable effective date of Parts A through C of this act shall be
46 as specifically set forth in the last section of such Parts.
FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
This bill would allow retired police officers who are employed by a
school district as a school resource officer, school safety officer,
school security officer, or any other substantially similar position
with an annual salary of $50,000 or less to continue to receive their
S. 4893 5
full retirement benefit beginning with calendar year 2026. Currently,
the salary limit is $35,000.
Pursuant to Section 25 of the Retirement and Social Security Law, the
increased costs would be borne entirely by the State of New York and
would require an itemized appropriation sufficient to pay the cost of
the provision.
Insofar as this bill affects the New York State and Local Retirement
System (NYSLRS), if this bill were enacted during the 2025 Legislative
Session, the direct cost incurred would be the retiree's pension benefit
paid while post-retirement earnings are between $35,000 and $50,000 each
calendar year. The pension benefit expected to be paid by the NYSLRS
during that 1-month period is estimated to be $7,500 per person.
In addition to the direct cost quoted above, there would be additional
costs in the form of lost employer contributions due to non-billable
post-retirement earnings, which is estimated to be $2,250 per person.
The number of members and retirees who could be affected by this
legislation cannot be readily determined. For each retiree rehired
pursuant to this proposal, an annual cost of $9,750 is expected. If
large numbers of retirees are rehired into such positions, significant
annual costs would result.
Summary of relevant resources:
Membership data as of March 31, 2024 was used in measuring the impact
of the proposed change, the same data used in the April 1, 2024 actuari-
al valuation. Distributions and other statistics can be found in the
2024 Report of the Actuary and the 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial
Report. The actuarial assumptions and methods used are described in the
2024 Annual Report to the Comptroller on Actuarial Assumptions, and the
Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York: Audit and
Control. The Market Assets and GASB Disclosures are found in the March
31, 2024 New York State and Local Retirement System Financial Statements
and Supplementary Information.
This fiscal note does not constitute a legal opinion on the viability
of the proposed change nor is it intended to serve as a substitute for
the professional judgment of an attorney.
This estimate, dated February 12, 2025, and intended for use only
during the 2025 Legislative Session, is Fiscal Note No. 2025-29. As
Chief Actuary of the New York State and Local Retirement System, I,
Aaron Schottin Young, hereby certify that this analysis complies with
applicable Actuarial Standards of Practice as well as the Code of
Professional Conduct and Qualification Standards for Actuaries Issuing
Statements of Actuarial Opinion of the American Academy of Actuaries, of
which I am a member.
