SB263: SB263 Law Enforcement Powers of School Security; include a specified area surrounding school property; expand jurisdictional authority

Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 20-8-5), school security personnel who are certified and authorized by their local board of education have the same law enforcement powers, including arrest, as regular police or sheriff's deputies, but only on school property. This bill would expand that authority so certified school security officers could exercise those same powers on public or private property located within five miles of school property, not just on the campus itself. The bill keeps the existing rule that local boards of education are not required to give their school security personnel law enforcement powers at all; boards may still choose to employ unarmed or non-police security staff. The change applies to both county school systems and independent city school systems statewide. No new certification process or funding is created; the bill only changes the geographic scope of existing authority.

• Expands the jurisdiction of certified school security officers from school property only to also include public or private property within five miles of school property.
• Preserves the existing requirement that officers be certified and specifically authorized by their local board of education before exercising law enforcement powers.
• Keeps intact the local board's option to employ school security staff who do not have law enforcement powers, such as unarmed monitors.
• Repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with this expanded jurisdiction once enacted.

Certified school security officers and the local school boards (county and independent city systems) that employ them, students and staff on and near campuses, and residents and property owners within five miles of a school who could now be subject to arrest powers exercised by school security personnel.

If enacted, certified school security officers could stop, detain, or arrest people well beyond school grounds, on nearby streets, businesses, or private property, using the same authority as local police. This broadens where school-based law enforcement can act, affecting people far from the school itself.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-8-5(a) to extend school security officers' law enforcement powers, including arrest, to public or private property within five miles of school property, in addition to school property itself.
• Section 1 also makes a conforming edit clarifying that these officers have the same powers as law enforcement officers of the county or municipality where the school system is located.
• Subsection (c) is retained to confirm local boards of education may still employ school security staff without law enforcement powers.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting state laws but does not specify an effective date beyond standard enactment.

1. 2025-02-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-02-26Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Derek Mallow (D, SD-002)Primary sponsor
• Freddie Sims (D, SD-012)
• RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-038)
• Chuck Payne (R, SD-054)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)

• school safety
• law enforcement jurisdiction
• school security officers
• police powers
• education policy