School Safety Law Blog – Page 110 – News and Information for School Safety

Safety Law News for 8/7/14

by Bernie James • August 7, 2014

Huntsville, Alabama police are implementing a “Zero Tolerance” policy for enforcing traffic laws in both public and private school zones, especially at the beginning and ending of the school day.

The State of Florida allocates safe school funds by looking at the county crime rate. Schools in counties with a lowering crime rate are punished with a decrease in safe schools funding. Jackson County officials have been forced to dip into the general revenue fund and safe school funds to cover the additional cost to keep resource officers on school campuses.

Officials in Wareham, Massachusetts have eliminated their school resource officer program as part of an effort to cut expenses from its budget. Despite the preferences of the school superintendent and parents, the program will not come back to the schools this year.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Public Schools and the city of Oklahoma City have agreed to split the $602,100 cost to hire seven police officers for elementary school duty.

Safety Law News for 8/1/14

by Bernie James • August 1, 2014

The Dardanelle, Arkansas Board of Education terminated its school resource officer program with the Dardanelle Police Department in favor of partnering with the Yell County Sheriff’s Office for the upcoming school year. The main reason for the switch was because the city police often had to pull the SRO during the school year. The county has assured the school board that its SRO will stay put.

School Resource Officers in Georgia will soon be trained to implement the CHAMPS program. The CHAMPS program, or Choosing Healthy Activities and Methods Promoting Safety, is sponsored by the Georgia Sheriff’s Association and targets fifth-graders. SROs will each be certified after taking the 80-hour CHAMPS certification course.

Federal court rules that a school resource officer did not use excessive force in arresting 18-year-old student who was arguing with his girlfriend, cursing officer, and refusing to obey officer’s commands to go to the school office. [Nichols v. Bourbon County Sheriff’s Department.]

Federal court upholds student suspension and transfer for misconduct on the Internet. A song that the high school student posted on social networking websites, in which he used vulgar and threatening language to levy charges that two coaches had improper contact with female students, was not protected by the First Amendment. [Bell v. Itawamba County School Board].

Safety Law News for 7/28/14

by Bernie James • July 28, 2014

The Board of Education of the San Francisco Unified School District has approved a memorandum of understanding with city police that identifies procedures for school resource officers to respond to campus incidents. The agreement increases communication among students, families, school officials and police, and calls for reports on arrests to be shared.

The school resource officer program in Manitowoc, Wisconsin is being praised for providing more than enforcement and bringing benefits to both the school district and the community.

Starting in September, High Point Regional High School in Sussex County is expected to become the first school district in New Jersey to have a gun-toting security officer patrolling the hallways as a school employee.

A Federal court in New Mexico rules that a school resource officer did not use excessive force nor violate the ADA rights of a sixth-grade special education student by handcuffing her, because he had probable cause to arrest and because, given her attack on a student and on a school employee.

Safety Law News for 7/23/14

by Bernie James • July 23, 2014

New York State Senator Patrick Gallivan, has taken direct action to put school resource officers in all schools in the state’s 59th Senate District. The New York budget has allocated nearly $2 million to implement a program developed by Gallivan that would allow schools to share a resource officer.

Thanks to the first ever Mississippi Community Oriented Policing Services grant, the Monroe County School District will receive $10,000 per school to help with the costs attached to school resource officers. The Mississippi Legislature approved a bill that allocated $5 million for the grant.

Pennsylvania policymakers have amended and expanded the state’s Safe School Act with Senate Bill 1194. The legislation, now law, will allow non-public schools to participate in the grant program for school resource officers.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon vetoed legislation which would have allowed schools to designate certain teachers or administrators to carry concealed guns inside school buildings and classrooms.

Safety Law News for 7/18/14

by Bernie James • July 18, 2014

Champaign, Illinois announces its “proven track record” of keeping schools safe — with the statistics to prove it. The school superintendent is convinced and therefore, will recommend that the school board renew the SRO program.

In Marshfield, Massachusetts, a citizens group held a concert to raise awareness for more school resource officers in the local schools. The Citizens for Children’s Safety organization hosted its second Fireworks and Music Spectacular on July 3.

Arizona approved funding for 118 school safety resource officers on campuses across the state. The School Safety Program Oversight Committee agreed to spend nearly $12 million for the upcoming school year.

In Kentucky, Jefferson County Public Schools assistant principals, principals and school resource officers are undergoing training to ensure that recent revisions to the student code of conduct are understood and that proper practices are applied appropriately to all disciplinary cases.

Safety Law News for 7/11/14

by Bernie James • July 11, 2014

A state legislature joint committee in Arizona approved funding for 118 school safety resource officers on campuses around the state. The School Safety Program Oversight Committee agreed to spend nearly $12 million on the program for the upcoming school year.

In Georgia, a new law went into effect July 1 that allows school employees to be designated to have access to firearms.

School resource officers in Wilmington, North Carolina, make up the 22nd class of law enforcement officers that have graduated from the 40-hour program on dealing with a person with mental illness in a crisis. The crisis intervention training is taught by the Wilmington Chapter of the National Alliance of Mental Illness.

A Hawkins County, Tennessee program aimed at fifth-graders seeks to deter children from drugs, as well as help them deal with a family member’s addiction. School resource officers teach the class one day a week for 10 weeks to every fifth-grader in the county school system.

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