A bill to enhance school security guard training, sponsored by Sen. Monica Martinez, recently passed the New York State Senate, will be presented to the Assembly this winter and then, possibly delivered to the governor.

The School Security Guard Training Enhancement Act will require those seeking employment as a school security guard, including but not limited to police officers that have been retired for more than five years, to obtain additional training in the form of a specialized certification.

This certification will cover topics conducive to serving the youth population in an educational environment, including but not limited to, role and responsibility of school security officers, school-related laws and liability, security awareness in an educational environment, youth mediation/conflict resolution, disasters and emergencies, dynamics of student behavior and cultural awareness, DASA, crisis prevention and restorative justice.

The bill will also require specialized certification and training program to be implemented and enforced by the department of state, in consultation with the department of education and the department of criminal justice services, the division of homeland security and emergency services, state police and local law enforcement.

The current license is not specific to schools, but rather covers all guards and teaches things like loss prevention rather than topics like student de-escalation or threat assessment.

The idea for the bill, which originally came from former Sachem BOE member Jim Kiernan, a retired police officer and William Floyd security director, and was supported by Sayville school’s board member James Bertsch, was to equip school security guards with adequate training.

According to Kiernan, the current training includes eight hours of pre-assignment training, 16 hours of training on the job up front; then, eight hours every year. 

“The up-front eight and 16 are transferable from a factory to a school,” he said. “ So it’s possible you have zero experience with kids, yet you now work in schools.”

In 2022, both Kiernan and Bertsch brought the idea to Martinez. That same year, matching resolutions were passed by both the Sayville and Sachem school boards of education. By 2023, the resolution was adopted by the New York School Boards Association as a legislative priority. Martinez then wrote the bill, which passed this spring.

“The school setting is unique and requires specialized training to maintain a safe environment where students can thrive.  With the rise in school-related violence, school safety is more urgent than ever.  As a former educator, I know that children have distinct comprehension and emotional needs, requiring a different approach than other age groups.  By understanding these needs, school security guards will be better able to deescalate situations and protect students.  We must support our students, teachers, staff, and communities by implementing measures that safeguard their well-being.  This measure will help secure their safety,” said Martinez.

Dr. Marc Ferris, superintendent of Sayville School District said that the district “had been advocating for this law to be passed for some time now.”

“We believe that all security personnel should undergo purposeful security training specific to a school district environment,” said Ferris. “In addition, to ensure high-quality security throughout the district, over the past several years, the Sayville School District has only been hiring retired law enforcement officers to work as security guards throughout the district.”

Dr. Timothy Hearney, superintendent of Bayport-Blue Point School District. said, “The health and safety of our students and staff is always a priority for our district. As a district we remain committed to providing all our staff with the resources, training and supports necessary to ensure their personal and professional development.  Our security staff are no exception, as their work is paramount in creating a safe and conducive learning environment. We look forward to learning more about this new proposed legislation in the coming weeks.”