School Security Officer Certification Program - Virginia

School Security OfficerCe rtification ProgramVirginia Center for School and Campus SafetySchool Division Points of Contact Program Orie ntationMarch 11, 20 21

WELCOME- We’re Glad You’re Here!Kim SimonCarol MillerAdministrative Training SpecialistSRO / SSO Training and Program Coordinator804-997-1717804-225 -4111

What We Would Like to Accomplish Today1.2.3.4.5.6.7.Ove rvie w of the SSO ProgramYour Role as the POCRe vie w of the ce rtification proce ssFormsDatabase acce ss and proce dure sRe source s and trainingHow and whe re to ge t he lp

The Virginia SchoolSecurity OfficerProgram

What exactly is a SCHOOL SECURITY OFFICER?§ 9.1-101defines a School Security Officer (SSO): Employe d by local school board Maintains orde r and discipline , pre ve nts crime , inve stigate s violations of schoolboard policie s De tains stude nts violating the law or school board policie s on school prope rtyor at school-sponsore d e ve nts Ensure s safe ty, se curity, and we lfare of school stude nts, faculty, staff andvisitors

§ 9.1-102. Powers and duties of the Board and the Department.42. Establish, in consultation with the Department of Education and the Virginia State Crime Commission,compulsoryminimum standards for employment and job -entry and in -service training curricula and certification requirements forschool security officers , including school security officers described in clause (b) of§ 22.1-280.2:1, which training andcertification shall be administered by the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety (VCSCS) pursuant to§ 9.1-184. Suchtraining standards shall be specific to the role and responsibility of school security officers and shall include (i) relevant stateand federal laws; (ii) school and personal liability issues; (iii) security awareness in the school environment; (iv) mediation andconflict resolution, including de-escalation techniques such as a physical alternative to restraint; (v) disaster and emergencyresponse; (vi) awareness of cultural diversity and implicit bias; (vii) working with students with disabilities, mental healthneeds, substance abuse disorders, and past traumatic experiences; and (viii) student behavioral dynamics, including childand adolescent development and brain research. The Department shall establish an advisory committee consisting of localschool board representatives, principals, superintendents, and school security personnel to assist in the development of thestandards and certification requirements in this subdivision. The Department shall require any school security officer whocarries a firearm in the performance of his duties to provide proof that he has completed a training course provided by afederal, state, or local law-enforcement agency that includes training in active shooter emergency response, emergencyevacuation procedure, and threat assessment;

I’m a POC- What exactly doe s that me an?Each school division (or private school) employing SSOs designates a Point of Contact(POC) between DCJS and the school division.To designate the POC, the superintendent or their designee should email the contactinformation to schoolsecurity@dcjs.virginia.gov requesting access to the SSO Database.There will be a designation form for this purpose in the future.The POC is a school board employee and is responsible for:1.2.3.4.Entering newly hired SSOs into the DCJS SSO databaseEnsuring completion of certification / recertification requirementsUpdating database records and information as neededSubmitting applications and training documentation to DCJS through theschoolsecurity@dcjs.virginia.gov email addressYou are, to use a metaphor, the bridge between the school division SSOs and DCJS

6VAC20 -240 -20 . Initial Certification and Training RequirementsParaphrased belowA. In addition to meeting all the hiring requirements of the employing school board, all school security officers are required tomeet the following minimum certification and training requirements. Such person shall:1. Undergo a background investigation to include fingerprint-based criminal history record inquiry Results of such inquiriesshall be examined by the employing school division within 30 days of date of hire;2. Have a high school diploma, or GED;3. Be a minimum of 21 years of age;4. Possess a valid driver's license if required by the duties of office to operate a motor vehicle;5. Successfully complete basic first aid training. The level and substance of such training shall be at the discretion of theemploying school division;6. Comply with compulsory minimum entry-level training requirements approved by the board:7. Submit to the department a properly completed and signed application for certification from the localities in a formatprovided by the department.

6VAC20 -240 -30. Department Certification ProceduresParaphrased belowA. The department will notify the applicant for school security officer certification and the superintendent of theemploying school division that the school security officer is certified in accordance with this regulation after thefollowing conditions are met:1. Notification to the department by the instructor that the applicant for school security officer certification hassuccessfully completed the compulsory minimum entry-level training;2. Receipt by the department of signed application for certification.B. If a school security officer seeking certification is denied by the department, the department will notify thesuperintendent and the applicant by letter outlining the basis for the denial and the process for appeal of the decision todeny.C. The department shall maintain a current database of certified school security officers as well as relevant trainingrecords.D. Certification shall be for a period not to exceed 24 months.

What about ARMED SSOs?Schools may e mploy arme d SSOs provide d the y me e t the statutory re quire me nts of§ 22.1-280.2:1. Employme nt of school se curity office rs.If your division e mploys arme d SSOs, in addition to me e ting the e mployme ntre quire me nts se t forth in Code , the POC must also submit a Training Comple tionForm signe d by the chie f law e nforce me nt office r (or de signe e ) ce rtifyingcompliance with the additional training re quire me nts.For more detailed information on armed SSO requirements, please contact Kimdirectly

The NEW HIRE SSO - Initial Ce rtification Proce ss1.2.3.4.5.6.7.HIREEnsure e mployme nt re quire me nts are me tEnte r ne w SSO in DATABASEComple te Initial SSO Ce rtification Training*Submit Initial Ce rtification ApplicationSubmit a PIC formAnd . . . VOILA!

The NEW Initial Certification Application Form SSO email Date of hire* Training completion information POC detailed information

6VAC20 -240 -50 . RecertificationParaphrased belowA. Applications for recertification shall be received by the department at least 30 days before certification expiration . Itis the responsibility of the individual to ensure recertification applications are filed with the department. A validcertification as a school security officer is required in order to remain eligible for employment as a school security officer.If the school security officer recertification application is on file with the department 30 days prior to expiration, the schoolsecurity officer may continue to operate in the school security officer capacity pending notification by the department.B. Applicants for recertification must complete 16 hours of in-service training during each two -year period after initialcertification. The in-service training must be school security officer related to include a legal update and other relevanttopics approved by the department.C. Individuals whose certification is expired shall comply with the initial certification requirements set forth in this chapter.

The CURRENT SSO - Re ne wal Proce ssThe SSO ce rtification is valid for 2 ye ars from issuance . To re ne w the ce rtification,the POC must submit: A re ce rtification application Ve rification of comple tion of at le ast 16 hours of job related training to includele gal update s (PIC forms)These documents should be submitted togetherWe would appreciate it if you would submit the recertification application andtraining verification (PIC forms) between 60 and 30 days prior to expiration.

UPDATE to the EXPIRATION DATE We have institute d an e nd of the month SSO ce rtification e xpiration date . For e xample : SSO John Te st has a curre nt e xpiration date of 4/12/20 20 . The ne xt time youre ne w his ce rtification, you will se e 3/31/20 22 as the e xpiration date . This me ans the re are only 12 possible e xpiration date s for you to manage . This proce ss be gan in April 20 20 and will continue until all ne w and e xistingSSO ce rtifications re fle ct the change as the y are re ne we d.

“Approved Training”: What is it? Where do we get it? The INITIAL training must be the DCJS SSO Initial Ce rtification Course Taught by DCJS; or Taught by an SSO Instructor e mploye d by a school division alre ady approve d by DCJS SSO must atte nd all module s and comple te all portions of the e xam with a minimum score of 80 % Roste rs will be maintaine d by DCJS with all score s A DCJS approve d PIC form is provide d to atte nde e s for the POC NOTE: The PIC form for initial ce rtification training comple tion is going to be update d soon

“Approved Training”: What is it? Where do we get it? The IN-SERVICEtraining must be school se curity office r re late d to include a le gal update and othe r re le vant topicsapprove d by the de partme nt. Most DCJS/VCSCS training would be e ligible for PIC cre dit for the SSO If you are inte re ste d in se nding folks to training outside of DCJS, ple ase submit the following at least 2 weeks PRIORto the training so we can e valuate for PIC cre dit and se nd you an approval: Timed agenda to include breaks and date / time / location Training session description Instructor bioWe are de ve loping a ne w PIC re que st form for your use . Once this form is available , we will se nd it out to you!

Training: Our school division wants to train our own SSOs in-house . What isthe proce ss?The division will ne e d to have at le ast one individual ce rtifie d by DCJS as an SSO Instructor. Submit the SSO Instructor applicationIf all re quire me nts cannot be me t, the instructor applicant may submit a Re que st for Waive r of Instructor ApprovalQualificationsInstructor Ce rtification is valid for 2 ye ars. Prior to e xpiration, an SSO Instructor Re ce rtification Application must besubmitte d along with training ve rification.Once you have an approve d instructor, the y must submit a Training Class Request form to DCJS 30 days prior to thesche dule d start date for a re que ste d se ssion.The purpose for submitting the training re que st is to e nsure that the most re ce nt curriculum and te sts are be ing use d andprovide s an opportunity for outside divisions to atte nd, if the division allows.Afte r the conclusion of the se ssion, the instructor must submit all te sts along with the daily training roste r toschoolse curity@dcjs.virginia.gov

Where To Find What I NeedWe thought you’d ne ve r ask . . .School Security Officer (SSO) Certification Program Virginia Department of Criminal Justice ServicesOR, if you are a visual le arne r . . .

The FORMSCurrent School Se curity Office r ApplicationSchool Se curity Office r Exte nsion Re que st FormSchool Se curity Office r Re ce rtification ApplicationSchool Se curity Office r Instructor ApplicationSchool Se curity Office r Instructor Waive rSchool Se curity Office r Instructor Re ce rtificationApplicationTraining Class Re que st FormArme d School Se curity Office r Training Comple tionNew / Coming Soon Initial Ce rtification Training Roste r (for instructors)POC De signation FormPIC Training Cre dit Application Form