The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meaning, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Agency administrator" means any chief of police, sheriff, or agency head of a state or local law enforcement agency.

“Approved training” means training approved by the department to meet minimum training standards.

“Board” means the Criminal Justice Services Board.

“Certification” means a method of regulation indicating that qualified individuals have met the minimum training and requirements as law enforcement officers in the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as the minimum requirements of school resource officers.

“Committee on Training” or “COT” means the standing committee of the board that is charged with reviewing proposed changes to the standards, receiving and reviewing public comments, and approving changes to the standards as needed.

“Compulsory minimum training standards” means the written performance outcomes approved by the Committee on Training and the minimum training hours approved by the Criminal Justice Services Board.

“Department” means the Department of Criminal Justice Services.

“Designee” means one who acts with the authority of the chief executive of the agency.

“Director” means the chief administrative officer of the department or the director’s designee.

“Requirements” means the core elements an officer needs to accomplish to obtain law enforcement and school resource officer certification.

“School resource officer” means a certified law enforcement officer hired by the local law enforcement agency to provide law enforcement and security services to Virginia public elementary and secondary schools.

A. Pursuant to the provisions of subdivision 54 of § 9.1-102 of the Code of Virginia, the department under the direction of the board establishes the compulsory minimum training standards for full-time and part-time law enforcement officers assigned the role of school resource officers as well as their certification and recertification requirements.

B. Individuals assigned as school resource officers as defined in § 9.1-101 of the Code of Virginia shall first comply with all the prescribed law enforcement certification and recertification requirements in 6VAC20-20 and 6VAC20-30, shall be 21-years-old at the time of assignment as a school resource officer, and shall have a minimum of two-years of law enforcement experience after initial certification as a law enforcement officer in the Commonwealth of Virginia as defined in § 9.1-101.

C. Individuals assigned as school resource officers as defined in § 9.1-101 of the Code of Virginia shall comply with the following school resource officer certification requirements pursuant to § 9.1-114.1 of the Code of Virginia:

1. Successfully complete school resource officer basic training as offered by the department, which includes receiving a minimum of 32 hours of approved training specific to the role and responsibility of a law enforcement officer working with students in a school environment on the following topics:

a. Relevant state and local laws;

b. School and personal liability issues;

c. Security awareness in the school environment;

d. Mediation and conflict resolution including de-escalation techniques;

e. Disaster and emergency response;

f. Awareness of systemic and individual racism, cultural diversity, and implicit bias;

g. Working with students with disabilities, mental health needs, substance use disorders, or past traumatic experiences; and

h. Student behavioral dynamics, including current child and adolescent development and brain research.

D. Law enforcement officers shall become certified school resource officers upon the documented successful completion of all performance outcomes and training objectives contained within the compulsory minimum training standards and other requirements.

A. The board shall be the approval authority for training categories and hours of the compulsory minimum training standards identified in 6VAC20-55-20. Amendments to training categories and hours shall be made in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq. of the Code of Virginia).

A. Law enforcement officers assigned as school resource officers after July 1, 2020, but before the effective date of this regulation, who have completed initial school resource officer training shall be deemed certified upon the effective date of this regulation, with recertification to be required within a two-year period from the effective date of this regulation.

B. The employing agency of the law enforcement officers assigned as school resource officers shall enter the initial assignment date in the department’s electronic records management system. This shall be the date the certified law enforcement officer is assigned as a school resource officer. Law enforcement officers assigned as school resource officers shall comply with all requirements of 6VAC20-55-20 and shall complete the initial certification course provided by the department (or other certified criminal justice training academy in the Commonwealth of Virginia) within 60 days of working in a school as a school resource officer.

1. Agencies may request a training extension for the completion of the school resource officer initial certification training course if no course is offered within the 60-day period, if the distance to the only available session exceeds 60 miles, or for other reasons approved by the department.

B. All school resource officer certifications become effective upon documented successful completion of all compulsory minimum training standards and requirements in 6VAC20-55-20.

C. The director, or the director’s designee, is the final approval authority for all school resource officer certifications.

A. All full-time and part-time law enforcement officers of a police department or sheriff’s office that is part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political division, and law enforcement officers as defined in § 9.1-101 of the Code of Virginia, must be initially certified through the successful completion of entry-level law enforcement training at a certified criminal justice training academy and comply with all additional requirements in 6VAC20-20 and 6VAC20-30 in order to remain eligible for appointment or employment, and assignment as a school resource officer.

B. Certification shall be for a two-year period. All individuals certified as school resource officers must recertify by December 31 of the second calendar year following the satisfactory completion of the entry-level compulsory minimum training standards and must complete in-service training by December 31 of every other calendar year thereafter.

1. Recertification training must be completed before the school resource officer certification expires.

2.When an individual fails to complete the school resource officer recertification process within the required guidelines the school resource officer certification becomes null and void until reinstatement.

3. If the individual’s certification has expired for less than 12 months the agency may request the school resource officer certification be reinstated by submitting a school resource officer reinstatement form with the agency’s administrator or their designee’s signature to the department for approval.

4. Any certification that has been expired for more than 12 months shall not be eligible for reinstatement under this section and the school resource officer must complete the school resource officer initial certification training.

B. In-service training approved by the department shall be completed and include a minimum of 16 hours, of which at least 2 hours shall be allocated to relevant legal updates. These training hours may count toward both school resource officer recertification and general law enforcement recertification.

C. School resource officers will be recertified based upon the electronic submission of the documentation of training completion in accordance with all requirements in 6VAC20-55. Recertification becomes effective when entered into the department’s electronic records management system and individuals are listed as certified school resource officers.

School Resource Officer Training Extension Form, SRO-1 (rev. 09/2024)