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Safety Law News for November 8, 2018

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  • In Wisconsin, officials in Racine sent a letter to parents and guardians to warn about the severe repercussions of directing threats about the schools on social media. The letter promises to investigate any ominous messages thoroughly and describes the range of sanctions as including suspension, expulsion and possible felony charges. This effort mirrors the attention that school districts in Ohio and Washington State are giving to the issue of school-directed threats.

 

  • In Tennessee, officials in Lenoir City are proposing a tax to increase school safety. If approved, the nearly $2 million would help buy metal detectors, alarms and security access. Long term, the tax permanently funds more school resource officers, counselors and behavioral specialists.

 

  • In New Jersey, officials in Union County plan to hire retired law enforcement officers to provide school security at the high school, the two middle schools and the largest elementary school. The agreement between the Linden Board of Education and the Linden City Council will establish a Special Law Enforcement Officer Class III program. It is based on state law that authorizes the redeployment of retired officers.

 

  • In Georgia, the Fulton County Schools Safety Committee submitted its recommendations to the school board. The committee advised the board to hire 16 additional school police officers and create an online mental health resource center.
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Safety Law News for November 6, 2018

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  • In Pennsylvania, the Tamaqua Area School Board unanimously approved a policy that would allow teachers, administrators and other staff to carry a firearm in school.  Tamaqua has never had a uniformed officer. School officials believe arming staff is a better way to go.  The teachers union and parents are not in support of the policy.

 

  •  In Indiana, ever since three children were struck and killed boarding their school bus in Rochester, Indiana, concerns about school bus safety have been heightened.  Officials in Hobart, Indiana are implementing the “Stop Arm Violation Campaign.”  The policy deploys police officers on school buses with orders to issue citations that require violators to appear in court.

 

  • In North Dakota, officials in the Bismarck Public Schools are responding to the increase in student use of e-cigarettes.  Armed with data by the Federal Food and Drug Administration that one Juul pod has the same amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes and that the developing adolescent brain is particularly vulnerable to nicotine addiction, educators are issuing citations, educating students, and notifying parents.

 

  • In Virginia, the Chesterfield County School district held a School Safety Task Force meeting to discuss ways to keep students safe while in school.  One recommendation, to increase the number of law enforcement officers on campus, is not popular with some parents.
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Safety Law News for November 1, 2018

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  • In Florida, school officials are refusing to arm faculty and staff members under the Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act [SB 7026].  $67 million was to be used solely for what the law calls “school guardians.”  But $58 million remains unspent.  The Governor and the legislature disagree on whether to divert the funds to provide sworn resource officers.

 

  • In Georgia, the Court of Appeals of Georgia held that a high school student, who was called by the school principal to the principal’s office, was not in custody when he admitted to a school resource officer that he choked another student.  The court reasoned that Miranda warnings were not required. (State v. Daniell)
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Safety Law News for October 24 2018

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  • In Colorado, the Thompson School District renewed an agreement with the City of Loveland Police Department to expand and strengthen the school resource officer program. The agreement bolsters the SRO program by providing more support at the administrative level by adding an SRO supervising sergeant. It creates more interagency cohesion by developing partnerships with community mental health resources, school counselors, mental health clinics, and drug treatment centers.

 

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Safety Law News for October 16th

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  • In Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals held that a student, who was called by the school principal to the principal’s office, was not in “custody” when he admitted to choking student, and thus, a police officer was not required to give Miranda warnings before speaking with him. (State v. Daniell).

 

 

  • In Ohio, officials in the Springfield Schools are seeking a property tax hike to pay for additional school security measures. The November ballot proposal will renew the district’s existing 1.35-mill assessment and add a 0.9-mill levy for updating the communication system, replacing classroom doors, and other building enhancements.

 

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Safety Law News for October 12, 2018

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  • In Virginia, the school safety task force for the Chesterfield County Public Schools has proposed placing officers in all schools in the county, increasing funding for mental health staff, and the distribution of annual transparency reports from both police and the school system.

 

  • In Idaho and Ohio, the Idaho Office of School Safety and the Ohio Department of Education have received federal grants to develop a technological reporting system to help monitor and assess threats and improve school safety.  The resources will include a confidential statewide tip line featuring downloadable apps and a web portal.  Florida officials are launching their version of this technology in the Fortify Florida app.  The state legislature created the app as part of the Stoneman Douglas Act.  It is an anonymous way to alert the Florida Department of Law Enforcement about possible school threats.

 

 

  • In Texas, the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Texas School Safety Center are asking the Legislature for more than $200 million during the next two-year budget to improve school safety and mental health services for students.