2021 Massachusetts General Laws
Part I - Administration of the Government
Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth
Chapter 6 - The Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Council, Certain Officers Under the Governor and Council, and State Library
Section 116h - Municipal Police Training Committee; In-Service Training Program for School Resource Officers
Section 116H. (a) The municipal police training committee shall establish and develop an in-service training program designed to train school resource officers, as defined in section 37P of chapter 71. Such program shall include training on: (i) the ways in which legal standards regarding police interaction and arrest procedures differ for juveniles compared to adults; (ii) child and adolescent cognitive development, which shall include instruction on common child and adolescent behaviors, actions and reactions as well as the impact of trauma, mental illness, behavioral addictions, such as gaming and gambling disorder, and developmental disabilities on child and adolescent development and behavior; (iii) engagement and de-escalation tactics that are specifically effective with youth; and (iv) strategies for resolving conflict and diverting youth in lieu of making an arrest. Such program shall also include training related to: (i) hate crime identification and prevention training curriculum including acquisition of practical skills to prevent, respond to and investigate hate crimes and hate incidents and their impacts on victim communities; (ii) anti-bias, anti-racism and anti-harassment strategies; (iii) bullying and cyberbullying; and (iv) comprehensive training to help school resource officers interact effectively with school personnel, victim communities and build public confidence with cooperation with law enforcement agencies.
(b) The course of instruction, the learning and performance objectives and the curriculum and standards for training developed pursuant to this section shall be developed in consultation with experts on child and adolescent development and child trauma and with educators and attorneys experienced in juvenile and education law and preventing and addressing youth hate crimes.
