Author: Bernie James

Safety Law News for October 17, 2106

In Alaska, the Association of Alaska Schools Boards has released its 2015 School Climate and Connectedness Survey.  The survey measures how students and staff view their school climate, how connected students feel to adults and peers, and student risk behaviors…

Safety Law News for October 12, 2016

In Rhode Island, officials in Portsmouth received a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Justice Department for school resource officers.  The funds will go toward two school resource officers. In Indiana, an incident in the Bartholomew Consolidated School district is being…

Safety Law News for October 5, 2016

In Mississippi, school resource officers in Picayune are implementing a new program, “The Voice,” to reduce bullying by making students accountable to each other. In Kentucky, Jefferson County Public Schools are implementing a program in which teachers ride along with School…

Safety Law News for September 26, 2016

In New York, Broome County officials are implementing again the SRO programs placed on hold when the state cut finding in 2010.  The Whitney Point and Windsor School Districts say the SROs help students feel more comfortable at school. In…

Safety Law News for September 21, 2016

In Missouri, school officials and police in St. Joseph attribute the significant decline in crime referrals to the presence of well-trained school resource officers.  During 2015, referrals dropped by over 60 percent to nearly 449 cases. In Pennsylvania, an Allegheny…

Safety Law News for September 15, 2016

The United States Court of Appeals ruled that school officials were liable when a teacher allowed a student to leave the classroom with an unidentified adult. The court reasoned that the risk of harm was so obvious as to rise…

Safety Law News for September 13, 2016

In Washington D.C., the Department of Education and the Department of Justice published recommendations on the use of police in schools. In New York City, school officials have confiscated far more weapons from students than they are reporting. In New…

Safety Law News for September 6, 2016

In Arizona, officials in Pima County are looking for policy solutions to the truancy epidemic.  One-fifth of Tucson-area juveniles are chronically truant. In New Jersey, the Elmwood Park Board of Education is implementing a shared service plan with the Elmwood…

Safety Law News for September 2, 2016

• In Connecticut, the United States District Court ruled that no student rights were violated by a school policy that authorized a suspension after receiving a police report about the off-campus, non-school related arrest of a student for possession of…

Safety Law News for August 30, 2016

In California, SB 1072 has been approved by the legislature and placed on the desk of the Governor.  The state law would require school buses to be outfitted with an alarm system to ensure students are not forgotten on the…