In Florida, the Governor signed into law legislative reforms to school safety, mental health and gun-control measures. Part of the $400 million allocated in the law will be used to hire and train more school resource officers and mental health…
Author: Bernie James
Safety Law News for March 8, 2018
In Florida, the legislature has approved and sent to the Governor SB 7026 — the “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act.” The legislation would raise the age to buy all firearms to 21 and impose a three-day waiting…
Safety Law News for March 2, 2018
In Florida, the Hernando County school board voted to add additional officers at schools in response to the Parkland tragedy. Only 13 of their 23 schools had school resource officers. The policy is effective immediately. The officers will be in…
Safety Law News for February 23, 2018
In Indiana, the Indiana Court of Appeals suppressed the statements of a student to a school official admitting placing graffiti on the walls of the boys’ restrooms. The administrator immediately told a police officer, who entered the office, spoke to…
Safety Law News for February 20, 2018
In Ohio, the Ohio Court of Appeals upheld the suppression of statements made to police by a juvenile during an interrogation. The court ruled that the juvenile’s waiver of his Miranda rights was not valid because (1) his first and…
Safety Law News for February 16, 2018
In Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that school officials had reasonable suspicion to compel a urinalysis drug test and later to terminate a teacher, who tested positive for cocaine metabolites. [Metz v. Bethlehem Area School District] In…
Safety Law News for February 14, 2018
In Washington D.C., the U.S. Department of Education and the Trump Administration has decided to discontinue the prior policy of investigating civil rights complaints from transgender students barred from school bathrooms that match their gender identity. In Maryland, the…
Safety Law News for February 9, 2018
In California, the United States District Court ruled that a high school student must be allowed to kneel during the playing of the national anthem at school-sponsored events and cannot be punished by school officials for refusing to stand. [V.A.…
Safety Law News for February 07, 2018
In Ohio, the Weathersfield Board of Education is restarting its school resource officer program after a nearly 20 year hiatus. Weathersfield Schools Superintendent said the officer will help the district with many issues that involve students while providing an opportunity…
Safety Law News for February 2, 2018
In California, officials in Bakersfield are assigning two full-time officers to work with at-risk students to combat high rates of absenteeism. The new program is a TRIAD-based approach, designed to build a positive relationship between students and law enforcement and…