School Safety Law Blog

In Maryland, the Court of Appeals held that a juvenile who sent a video to her two best friends that showed herself performing fellatio can be adjudicated delinquent under Maryland law both as the person who is a distributor of child pornography and a displayer of obscene matter.  The court reasoned that the Maryland legislature had not amended the laws to include an exception for minors since the advent of sexting.  (In Re S.K.)

In Wisconsin, the Oregon School District is rejecting provisions of the school resource officer program as it comes up for renewal.  The primary objection is to a proposal to procure an assault rifle for the officers.  The other concerns focus on the role of the SRO.

In Arkansas, school officials in Fort Smith have decided to maintain the school resource officer program with the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office in addition to the internal school police department it recently created.  The school board unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding to combine the programs.

In California,  the Burbank Unified School District is hosting community meetings on the rising use of tobacco and electronic cigarettes.  The district’s resource officers also participate, demonstrating several types of e-cigarettes, including some resembling iPods, flash drives, pens and chargers.

In New York,  the Court of Appeal held that a student who was assaulted on campus is entitled to records of all assaults that occurred on school grounds to help her case.  The court reasoned that in determining whether the duty of a school to provide a safe campus  is breached in the context of injuries caused by the acts of fellow students, it must be established that school authorities had sufficiently specific knowledge or notice of the dangerous conduct which caused injury; that is, that the student misconduct could reasonably have been anticipated.  (M.C. v. City of New York)

In Louisiana, the Louisiana Court of Appeal held that a school was liable for an older student’s actions when he sexually abused a younger student on a school bus.  The evidence showed that school officials were aware of the recurring behavior of the student, but did not intervene properly and did not follow their policy of reporting the incidents to police or child protection agencies.  The court ruled that the school board had a duty to protect its students and that liability is appropriate when the risk of injury is foreseeable and preventable if a requisite degree of supervision had been exercised.  (Pike v. Calcasieu Parish School Board)

In New York, the New York Supreme Court held that a school was not liable for the death of a student after he was struck by a train in an apparent suicide.  Parents for the victim alleged that the school district was indifferent to bullying and harassment from other students.  The court disagreed because the death occurred after school hours and off school premises, the school district did not have control over the victim, and school officials were not on notice of the possibility of the suicide nor were under a distinct duty to guard against it.  (Collazo v. Hicksville Union Free School District)

.• In Missouri, officials from the Ferguson-Florissant School District are implementing a policy that will require students to transport books, binders, and calculators into clear backpacks as part of an attempt to eliminate the weapons that have ended up on their campuses.

In Nebraska,  school resource officers in Omaha are receiving training on how to deal with combat-type injuries including how to pack wounds, using a tourniquet and maintaining a person’s airway.  The goal is to equip officers with skills that go beyond basic CPR in the event of an active shooting incident.

In California., officials in San Benito County are receiving positive feedback on the school resource officer program.  Educators, support staff, and parents are reporting that having school resource officers on campus improve overall relationships.

In Mississippi, school resource offices in the City of Petal are receiving Crisis Intervention Team training.  The CIT training is helping to implement a pre-arrest diversion program for individuals that are living with mental illness. The course teaches how to safely deescalate incidents and connect individuals to treatment rather than arrest.

In Massachusetts, all school-based law enforcement officers in Springfield schools will be required to receive training by the National Association of School Resource Officers.

In Missouri, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit held that the handcuffing by a police officer of an out-of-control seven-year-old boy in the second grade was not an excessive use of force.  The court ruled that the boy’s attempts to flee from the officer posed a safety risk to himself.  And the officer did not violate the student’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure and excessive force by leaving him handcuffed for 15 minutes until his father arrived.  (K.W.P. v. Kansas City Public Schools)