An Act relative to increasing the safety and security in schools

HD 444 creates a new School Resource Officer Fund administered by the state education commissioner to help schools hire safety personnel. The fund collects state appropriations, private donations, and interest to provide financial support to cities, towns, and school districts that cannot otherwise afford to assign school resource officers (SROs) to schools. It requires the commissioner to annually report fund activities to key legislative committees. This bill directly affects Massachusetts public schools lacking sufficient resources for SRO assignments, aiming to improve school safety through targeted funding.