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Safety Law News August 9, 2018

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  • In Ohio, officials in the Lima City Schools announced Wednesday the implementation of a K-9 program during the upcoming school year.  The dogs will be used to find narcotics and gunpowder in the schools and they’ll also act as therapy dogs, helping calm stressed students and children in special education programs. They will also act as a gateway for students who can interact with the dog while becoming comfortable interacting with the SROs.

 

 

 

  • In Florida, the Sheriff’s Office in Orange County has committed $168,000 for heavy-duty body armor and helmets. The goal is to provide protection for police officers in an active shooter situation.

 

  • In Louisiana, educators in the St. Tammany Parish Public Schools are planning to implement a new cellphone policy with progressive consequences for students who violate its provisions.  Under the policy, cell phones can be used only in case of emergency, which the board has defined “as an actual or imminent threat to public health or safety which may result in loss of life or injury.”
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Safety Law News for August 7, 2018

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  • In Ohio, House Bill 318 has become law.  The new law defines and codify the role and requirements of school resource officers in Ohio. The law requires at least forty hours of school resource officer training by either NASRO (National Association of School Resource Officers) or OSROA (Ohio School Resource Officer Association).  That training must review school campus design, building security needs and characteristics and teach officers how to identify drug use trends in schools and encourage a drug-free environment.

 

  • In Pennsylvania, the United States District Court ruled that a school-based law enforcement officer’s use of force in seizing a student was reasonable as a matter of law.  The officer tackled the student when the student attempted to flee the administrative office without being subjected to a pat-down search.  The student had a history of making threats, was acting violently, had allegedly planned a knife attack, and was reasonably believed to still be in possession of a knife.  (Salyer v. Hollidaysburg Area School District).

 

 

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Safety Law News For August 1, 2018

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  • In a new national report on school quality and safety, WalletHub ranks all 50 states.  School safety — 20 percent of the score — was based on incidents of armed students, bullying, and laws that mandate school resource officers.  In the “safety” category, Massachusetts ranks number 1.  Arkansas ranks number 50.

 

  • In Wyoming, officials in Casper announced a plan to increase the number of officers in schools.  Once the plan has been fully instituted, the number of cops working in schools will roughly match that of a typical Casper patrol unit and may necessitate a change to the department’s command structure.

 

  • In Alabama, the State School Superintendent sent a memo to all district superintendents outlining the requirements for arming school administrators.  If a local board of education wants to arm an administrator, they will need to purchase the gun, the specially-designed vest the administrator will have to wear when using the gun, and the biometric safe the gun has to be stored in on a school’s campus.

 

  • In Florida, Marion County Public Schools approved a new policy to nearly triple the number of school resource officers.  The district plans to place 56 school resource officers on campus beginning next month. That’s up from 18 last year.  The change will cost just under $4 million.
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Safety Law News for July 27, 2018

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  •  In Florida, officials with the Marion County Public Schools approved a new policy to nearly triple the number of school resource officers. The district plans to place 56 school resource officers on campus beginning this fall. That’s up from 18 officers last year.

 

 

 

  • In Wisconsin, a special policy committee created by the Madison School Board is looking to develop a safety plan.  It rejected a proposal to replace school resource officers with a liaison program.  Instead, the committee is looking to develop a safety plan for the district that incorporates a relationship with the Madison Police Department.
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Safety Law News for July 24, 2018

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Safety Law News for July 17, 2018

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  • In California, the California Court of Appeal ruled that the juvenile court probation condition allowing the monitoring of a juvenile’s electronic communications and social media was valid.  The court reasoned that the conditions were tailored to his individual circumstances and public safety interests and were reasonably likely to yield evidence of continued contact with gang members regarding drug use or other criminal activity.  (In re Juan R).
  • In Utah, the United States District Court ruled that school officials did not violate the rights of a student who was removed from the cheerleading squad for improper social media usage.  The court held that there is no constitutional right to be a cheerleader and the school can impose restrictions on the student to be on the squad.  Cases involving suspension are inapplicable when a student is merely dismissed from an extracurricular activity.  The school held cheerleaders to a higher academic and conduct standard.  (Johnson v. Cache County School District).
  • In Louisiana, the Court of Appeal of Louisiana held that the School Board’s decision to terminate an administrator’s tenured employment, based on an alleged violation of the policy prohibiting corporal punishment, violated the rights of the school official.  The court ruled that  School Board policy prohibited the infliction of corporal punishment on a student; however, also expressly allowed educators and administrators to use “reasonable physical force and restraint to stop a disturbance threatening physical injury to others, to obtain possession of dangerous or contraband objects from students, for the purpose of self-defense, or for the protection of persons or property.”  (Dr. Calvin Nicholas v. East Baton Rouge Parish School System).
  • In Texas, Hallsville ISD trustees approved a resolution Monday night to arm administrators and provide intervention counseling for “red card” students starting in August 2019.