by Bernie James • • Comments Off on Safety Law News for June 28, 2017
In Ohio, the Ohio Court of Appeals upheld a trial court ruling that found a 12-year-old delinquent for violating a state law that provides that “No person, with knowledge of its character or content, shall recklessly… [d]irectly sell, deliver, furnish, disseminate, provide, exhibit, rent, or present to a juvenile, a group of juveniles, …any material or performance that is obscene or harmful to juveniles.” The juvenile “sexted” a photograph depicting the bare breasts of a 12-year-old classmate to other students. [In Re L.Z.].
In Colorado, the Governor signed into law HB 17-1302, the Juvenile Sexting Crime Act. Under the law, prosecution of juveniles who text sexual pictures takes a multi-tiered approach that defines varying levels of sexting from a civil infraction that carries a $50 fine to felony charges for more serious cases.
In Minnesota, St. Louis County school officials say the School Resource Officer Program has been a huge success. The district had a grant to pay for the program. Once that funding ran out, they couldn’t support the program. The St. Louis County Board has signed on to provide 100 percent of the funding.
In Georgia, Savannah officials report that referrals by school resource officers dropped from 189 in 2014 to 115 in 2016. School resource officers, school administrators and teachers are using positive behavior intervention training instead of zero-tolerance.