York County News

Legislation sponsored by Sen. Mike Regan (R-31) has been passed, mandating armed school security officers in every school district across the commonwealth.

“This has been a 12-year process to get this important initiative across the finish line,” Regan stated. “I am pleased that my colleagues this session recognized the value and necessity of having armed school security personnel in each of our schools.”

Regan's initial legislative proposal as a member of the House of Representatives was to require an armed officer in every Pennsylvania school building. This initiative was spurred by news of the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, shortly after he had welcomed a group of fourth graders to the Capitol.

“I knew in that moment that with my background and experience in securing federal courthouses as a U.S. Marshal, I could offer a plan to protect our schools in Pennsylvania,” Regan said.

Since then, school security has been a top priority for Regan. He has collaborated with his caucus, including Sen. Wayne Langerholc (R-35), to establish the School Safety and Security Committee at the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) and the School Safety and Security Grants Program.

“I am very proud of what we have been able to achieve for our schools to better protect students and staff,” Regan commented. “But until now, there has been a major piece missing, which is uniformity across the commonwealth with having armed security at our schools.”

Regan’s legislation, Senate Bill 907, was incorporated into Senate Bill 700, an omnibus School Code bill passed as part of the budget. The new mandate requires each school entity—defined as a school district, intermediate unit, area career and technical school, charter school or private residential rehabilitative institution—to employ one full-time trained school security personnel. These personnel are defined as school resource officers, school police officers, or school security guards. Additional funding will be provided to assist schools with hiring an armed officer.

“As I prepare to bid farewell to my service in the Legislature, it gives me great pride to see this particular issue come to fruition,” said Regan. “My first piece of legislation is also one of my last, and I owe a great deal of gratitude to Senate leadership and my colleagues for their confidence in me on this issue and for their support for the bill.”

CONTACT: Bruce McLanahan

717-787-8524