Massachusetts Education Panel Weighs Bill Limiting School Resource Officer Discipline Role

BOSTON — May 5, 2026 — Massachusetts lawmakers heard testimony on a bill that would restrict school resource officers from handling student discipline and fund restorative-justice alternatives. The Joint Committee on Education, co-chaired by Senate Chair Jason M. Lewis and House Chair Kenneth I. Gordon, held its 15th hearing of the 194th session Tuesday, focusing on H.5157, an act relative to safer schools. Julian Washington of the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee testified virtually that the bill limits SRO authority to the most significant criminal conduct, creates grants for holistic safety models, and mandates de-escalation training — arguing a first-time student arrest doubles the odds of dropping out. Representative Judith A. Garcia, citing ongoing gang recruitment and weapons incidents in Chelsea schools, pressed witnesses on what the bill offers communities that rely on officers who "look like us" to protect students from MS-13 and La Mara 18. Caleb Pulliam of the Ed Law Project testified that a client with an IEP was handcuffed against a locker after an SRO unfamiliar with her accommodations blocked her during a sanctioned hallway break. Parent advocate Joey Ford, who reviewed police records across districts, testified as neutral on the SRO bill but said the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education applies inconsistent disciplinary standards and that SPED Watch has received no satisfactory response to public records requests seeking documented case criteria.