House Study Bill 675 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY BILL BY CHAIRPERSON THOMPSON) A BILL FOR An Act relating to school security, including by requiring 1 certain school districts to employ or retain school security 2 personnel, establishing the school security personnel grant 3 program within the department of education, and authorizing 4 school employees to be issued professional permits to carry 5 weapons. 6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 7 TLSB 6276YC (5) 90 jda/jh

H.F. _____ Section 1. NEW SECTION . 279.84 School security personnel 1 —— grant program. 2 1. For purposes of this section: 3 a. “Private school security officer” means an individual 4 employed by a private security business who possesses a permit 5 to carry weapons issued under section 724.6. 6 b. “Private security business” means the same as defined in 7 section 80A.1. 8 c. “School resource officer” means the same as defined in 9 34 U.S.C. §10389. 10 2. The board of directors of each school district with 11 a total enrollment of at least eight thousand students shall 12 employ, or retain the services of, at least one private school 13 security officer or school resource officer to guard each 14 attendance center where students enrolled in grades nine 15 through twelve regularly attend classes. A private school 16 security officer employed or retained by the board of directors 17 of a school district pursuant to this subsection shall be 18 required to participate in the annual live scenario training 19 and quarterly live firearms training provided by the department 20 of public safety pursuant to section 724.6, subsection 1, 21 paragraph “a” , subparagraph (3). 22 3. a. The board of directors of each school district with 23 a total enrollment of less than eight thousand students is 24 encouraged to employ, or retain the services of, at least one 25 private school security officer or school resource officer 26 to guard each attendance center where students enrolled in 27 grades nine through twelve regularly attend classes. A private 28 school security officer employed or retained by the board of 29 directors of a school district pursuant to this paragraph shall 30 be required to participate in the annual live scenario training 31 and quarterly live firearms training provided by the department 32 of public safety pursuant to section 724.6, subsection 1, 33 paragraph “a” , subparagraph (3). 34 b. The department of education shall develop and administer 35 -1- LSB 6276YC (5) 90 jda/jh 1/ 6

H.F. _____ a school security personnel grant program to provide annual 1 grants to match moneys provided by a school district described 2 in paragraph “a” to allow such school districts to offset costs 3 associated with employing, or retaining the services of, a 4 private school security officer or school resource officer to 5 guard each attendance center providing education to students 6 enrolled in grades nine through twelve. The amount of an 7 annual grant provided by the department of education to a 8 school district that has provided matching moneys pursuant to 9 this paragraph shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars. 10 4. A school security personnel grant program fund 11 is established in the state treasury. The fund shall be 12 administered by the department of education and shall consist 13 of moneys appropriated by the general assembly and other moneys 14 received by the department for deposit in the fund. The moneys 15 in the fund are appropriated to the department for the school 16 security personnel grant program. Notwithstanding section 17 8.33, moneys in the fund at the close of the fiscal year shall 18 not revert to the general fund of the state but shall remain 19 available for expenditure for the school security personnel 20 grant program for subsequent fiscal years. 21 Sec. 2. Section 724.6, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code 2024, 22 is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 23 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH . (3) A person may be issued a permit 24 to carry weapons if the person is a school employee of a 25 school district, a private school, or an institution of higher 26 education as defined in section 722.11 that has not opted out 27 of participating in the professional permitting of school 28 employees. The person shall complete a prescribed firearm 29 safety training course offered pursuant to section 724.9, 30 subsection 1, prior to being issued a permit, and not be 31 disqualified under section 724.8. A person issued a permit to 32 carry weapons under this subparagraph shall receive one-time, 33 in-person legal training, including training on qualified 34 immunity, annual emergency medical training, and annual 35 -2- LSB 6276YC (5) 90 jda/jh 2/ 6

H.F. _____ communication training that is approved by the department of 1 public safety. The department of public safety shall implement 2 required annual live scenario training and quarterly live 3 firearm training for school employees of a school district, 4 a private school, or an institution of higher education that 5 has opted into participating in the professional permitting 6 of school employees. A school employee issued a professional 7 permit to carry by the department of public safety who is up 8 to date with department of public safety-approved training 9 shall be entitled to qualified immunity from criminal or civil 10 liability for all damages incurred pursuant to the application 11 of reasonable force at the place of employment. 12 Sec. 3. Section 724.6, subsection 2, Code 2024, is amended 13 to read as follows: 14 2. Notwithstanding subsection 1 , fire fighters, as defined 15 in section 411.1, subsection 10 , airport fire fighters included 16 under section 97B.49B , school employees, and emergency medical 17 care providers other than emergency medical care providers 18 specified in subsection 1 , paragraph “a” , subparagraph (2), 19 shall not, as a condition of employment, be required to obtain 20 a permit under this section . However, the provisions of 21 this subsection shall not apply to a person designated as an 22 arson investigator by the chief fire officer of a political 23 subdivision. 24 Sec. 4. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance 25 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring 26 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall 27 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid 28 received by the school district under section 257.16. This 29 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed 30 to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of 31 section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding 32 shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act 33 by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school 34 districts. 35 -3- LSB 6276YC (5) 90 jda/jh 3/ 6

H.F. _____ EXPLANATION 1 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 2 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 3 This bill relates to school security, including by requiring 4 certain school districts to employ or retain school security 5 personnel, establishing the school security personnel grant 6 program within the department of education, and authorizing 7 school employees to be issued professional permits to carry 8 weapons. 9 The bill requires all school districts with a total 10 enrollment of at least 8,000 students to employ, or retain the 11 services of, at least one private school security officer or 12 school resource officer to guard each attendance center where 13 students enrolled in grades 9 through 12 regularly attend 14 classes. 15 The bill encourages all school districts with a total 16 enrollment of less than 8,000 students to employ, or retain 17 the services of, at least one private school security officer 18 or school resource officer to guard each attendance center 19 where students enrolled in grades 9 through 12 regularly 20 attend classes. The bill requires the department of education 21 to develop and administer a school security personnel grant 22 program to provide annual grants to match moneys provided by 23 such school districts to allow the school districts to offset 24 costs associated with employing, or retaining the services of, 25 a private school security officer or school resource officer. 26 The bill provides that the amount of an annual grant provided 27 by the department to a school district that has provided 28 matching moneys pursuant to this provision shall not exceed 29 $50,000. The bill establishes a school security personnel 30 grant program fund in the state treasury to be administered by 31 the department. 32 The bill defines “private school security officer” to 33 mean an individual employed by a private security business 34 who possesses a permit to carry weapons issued under Code 35 -4- LSB 6276YC (5) 90 jda/jh 4/ 6

H.F. _____ section 724.6 (professional permit to carry weapons). The bill 1 requires a private school security officer employed or retained 2 by the board of directors of a school district to participate 3 in the annual live scenario training and quarterly live firearm 4 training sessions described below. The bill defines “private 5 security business” as a business of furnishing, for hire or 6 reward, guards, watch personnel, armored car personnel, patrol 7 personnel, or other persons to protect persons or property, 8 to prevent the unlawful taking of goods and merchandise, or 9 to prevent the misappropriation or concealment of goods, 10 merchandise, money, securities, or other valuable documents 11 or papers, and includes an individual who for hire patrols, 12 watches, or guards a residential, industrial, or business 13 property or district. Additionally, the bill defines “school 14 resource officer” by reference to the definition contained in 15 34 U.S.C. §10389. 16 The bill provides that a person may be issued a permit 17 to carry weapons if the person is a school employee of a 18 school district, a private school, or an institution of higher 19 education that has not opted out of participating in the 20 professional permitting of school employees. The person shall 21 complete a prescribed firearm safety training course offered 22 pursuant to Code section 724.9(1), prior to being issued a 23 permit, and not be ineligible for a permit to carry under Code 24 section 724.8. A person issued a permit to carry weapons 25 is required to receive one-time, in-person legal training, 26 including training on qualified immunity, annual emergency 27 medical training, and annual communication training that is 28 approved by the department of public safety. The department 29 of public safety is required to implement annual live scenario 30 training and quarterly live firearm training for school 31 employees. 32 The bill provides that a school employee issued a 33 professional permit to carry by the department of public safety 34 after completing department of public safety-approved training 35 -5- LSB 6276YC (5) 90 jda/jh 5/ 6

H.F. _____ is entitled to qualified immunity from criminal or civil 1 liability for all damages incurred pursuant to the application 2 of reasonable force at the place of employment. 3 The bill provides that a school employee shall not be 4 required, as a condition of employment, to obtain a permit. 5 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 6 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of 7 any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school 8 district from state school foundation aid received by the 9 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification 10 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate 11 funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The 12 inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the 13 requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state 14 mandates included in the bill. 15 -6- LSB 6276YC (5) 90 jda/jh 6/ 6