House Education Committee hears bill to create new categories of school security personnel; no final vote

At a hearing of the House Education Committee, members considered House Bill 473, a measure that would create new categories of school security personnel and add a pathway for some former law-enforcement officers to serve as armed or unarmed school security staff.

The bill, introduced in committee by Representative Brown, would establish Level 1 and Level 2 “assistant school security personnel” who would not be authorized to carry a firearm on school premises and retain a Level 3 category for armed officers who must meet training and certification requirements.

Supporters, led by Gary Washburn, superintendent of Carlsbad Municipal Schools, said the change is aimed at fixing an unintended hiring barrier. "We lost 5 that were absolutely incredible people we needed," Washburn told the committee, describing retired sheriff’s and corrections officers the district had tried to hire but who were ineligible under current statutory requirements because they had not attended the State Police Academy. Washburn said the proposal creates "a structured comprehensive training and certification process" so qualified individuals can become eligible without lowering standards.

Stan Rounds, representing the School Superintendents Association, said the measure would give districts "options" they lack now, particularly in rural areas where response times for outside law enforcement are long. Committee members pressed the sponsor and witnesses about background checks, mental-health screening and site-specific training for working with children. Representative Garrett noted the bill requires background checks; Representative Caballero pointed to language in the draft that requires districts to verify training completion and an eligibility registration on page 4, line 19.

Washburn and other witnesses described local safeguards: an MOU with the Carlsbad Police Department for firearms training and verbal de-escalation, psychological evaluations for armed personnel, and district- or position-specific training tied to special education and age-appropriate approaches. Washburn also said the district had used a COPS grant and district operating dollars to fund additional resource officers and security personnel, noting the district carried an extra $300,000 annually for five years to support six additional school resource officers.

Committee members also flagged technical and implementation issues in the bill’s fiscal impact report (FIR). Representative Garrett and others said the Department of Public Safety (DPS) had recommended additional amendments and an effective date change to 01/01/2026 to allow time for rule-making and implementation. Representative Brown, the sponsor, told the committee she and her drafting team were open to those amendments and would gather input before filing technical changes.

No final vote was taken on House Bill 473. The chair asked the sponsor to work with Legislative Drafting, DPS and committee staff to consolidate technical changes; the sponsor agreed to circulate amendments quickly. The transcript records committee questioning and the sponsor’s agreement to return with amendments but does not show a formal motion or vote on the bill.

Community context: proponents described the measure as primarily aimed at rural districts and smaller schools that cannot staff a sworn officer at every building; opponents and some members stressed the need for strict training, oversight and clarity about when armed personnel would intervene versus when they would enforce district policy.

Outlook: Committee members left the bill open for amendment; the sponsor indicated she would submit technical changes for committee review before the next meeting.