Frequently Asked Questions

What is Housebill 460- School Resource Officers and School Administrators Training and Agreement?

The Utah Legislature passed H.B. 460 in 2016. In summary, the bill requires the following:

• 53A-11-1603 School Resource Officer Training-- Curriculum
  • The Utah State Board of Education in conjunction with the State Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice shall make rules that prepare and make available a training program for school principals and school resource officers to attend.
• 53A-11-1604 Contracts between an LEA and law enforcement for school resource officer services
  • If an LEA contracts with a law enforcement agency or an individual to provide SRO services at the LEA, a contract must be put in place with specific requirements as outlined in the bill. This must be reviewed and approved by the LEA's governing authority and acknowledged by the law enforcement agency or the individual that an SRO hired under the contract.
  • An SRO hired under the contract and the principal at the school where the SRO will be working, or the principal's designee, will jointly complete the SRO training.

What is the School-Based Law Enforcement Training?

This is the approved curriculum provided by the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) in conjunction with the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ) to fulfill the requirements outlined in HB 460 (53A-11-1603).

This 4-hour discussion-lead training provides an opportunity for school administrators and SROs officers to discuss and develop standard protocols to address student behavioral problems. The active learning sessions will discuss real life scenarios and develop solutions that provide a safe learning environment in the school while addressing the needs of the student.

SBLET topics include, but are not limited to:

• Roles of the school resource officers and school administrator
• Juvenile court process
• Adolescent development
• Mental health problems
• Conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques
• Cultural competency and alternatives to the juvenile justice system

Who is required to attend the training?

Per House bill 460, both the School Resource Officer and their school principal (s) or principal's designee must complete the training together. It is critical that both be present at the training as this will be crucial to further developing the required contract or memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Local Education Agency and the Law Enforcement Agency providing SRO services as outlined in 53A-11-1604

Is there a cost for the training?

This training is free of charge, but registration is required. Each training session is limited to 30-40 participants. SBLET is currently being funded by the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice (Governor's Office). Training sessions will be offered in each Judicial District beginning January 2019 and concluding August 2019.

Can this training be used towards Professional Development?

At the conclusion of the training, all participants will be given a certificate of completion. Please consult with your individual administration to determine if SBLET can count towards professional development.