dbeard@dominionpost.com
MORGANTOWN – The Senate Finance Committee on Friday upped the ante on both chambers’ efforts to enable schools to put some form of security guards in their hallways.
The committee took up and approved a new version of HB 2164, which was already a hybrid of House and Senate approaches.
The original version allows public and charter schools, along with private and religious schools, to employ school safety officers. SSOs must be former law enforcement officers and may carry firearms. They may detain but not arrest a suspect.
The hiring school must cover the equipment costs and provide insurance coverage. The bill prescribes training for the SSOs.
To provide two options, the House merged into its bill SB 450, the West Virginia Guardian program, to allow public schools, including charters (private and religious schools do not appear in this section), to contract with a retired law enforcement officer to provide Guardian services.
On Friday, the Finance Committee added a third option, to allow schools – public, private and religious – to contract with private security firms.
This portion doesn’t require the guards to be retired law enforcement, but does require all the same training as the other two options, plus the standards for private investigative and security services described in Chapter 30 of state code – a provision that alleviated one senator’s concerns that anyone off the street could walk in and get hired.
Apart from a few clarifying questions, there was no debate and the committee approved the bill in a voice vote. It heads to the Senate floor where the new version will be formally amended in. Upon passage, it will return to the House for concurrence or further amendment.
As we’ve reported before, last year the competing House and Senate approaches went to conference committee on the last day of the session but went unresolved before the session adjourned and both bills died.
