A bill to allow military veterans to serve as school resource officers (SROs) is moving through the 2026 Louisiana Regular Legislative Session in Baton Rouge. The bill’s author, Rep. Kellee Dickerson, R-Denham Springs, says the measure is intended to address the shortage of SROs, along with helping improve overall public safety.
[La. House VOD: 1:51:58] “What a win-win of helping reinforce our school safety while giving parents an extra sense of security knowing more trained professionals are protecting and mentoring our children within our school system.”
Louisiana House Bill 682 passed unanimously in the House Education Committee (11-0). If approved, HB 682 would allow veterans to fill those rolls in public, private, and charter schools. They would not, however, have arresting powers, and would still need to call in a police officer to make arrests.
The measure advanced to the full house. As the bill stipulates, under current Louisiana law, a school resource officer is defined as a peace officer, the school systems are therefore required to enter into agreements with local law enforcement agencies to provide for SROs.
As Rep. Dickerson also explained to committee members, permitting veterans who have been successfully discharged from the Armed Forces, to serve as SROs, better serves the community as a whole.
[La. House VOD: 1:51:15] “House Bill 682 is designed to free up police officers who need to be on the streets fighting crime and pull from one of our most valuable resources, our veterans.”
