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Safety Law News for 1/16/14

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  •  A Florida appellate court decision upholds the search of the book bag by a school official based upon an anonymous tip.  The court ruled that the level of reliability required to justify a search is lower when the tip concerns possession by a student of a firearm in a public school classroom.  [K.P. v. State].
  •  In Texas, the passage of Senate Bill 393 that restricts school police officers from issuing Class C misdemeanors for fighting, trespassing and having drug paraphernalia is changing the role of school resource officer.
  •  Indiana Supreme Court upholds use of Taser by school resource officer against student whose conviction for resisting law enforcement, as a Class A misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, a Class B misdemeanor were upheld.  [Walker v. State].
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Safety Law News for 1/13/14

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  • Educators in western New York State share their views on collaborative school safety: “the school resource officer position … provide an important role in having our students realize and make a connection between law enforcement and life outside of school. They play many different roles in our middle/high school building, including a huge part of the educational piece.”
  • The United States District Court in Tennessee has ruled that school officials may not regulate off-campus online speech by students when the student’s speech has no connection to the school whatever other than the fact that both the speaker and the targeted victim of the speech studied there.   Nixon v. Hardin County Bd. of Education.
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Safety Law News for 1/9/14

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  • Berkeley County, South Carolina schools conduct audit of school safety after officials in Colorado says the school shooting that took place there last month could have been much worse if a school resource officer had not been able to approach the student about 80 seconds after the shooting began.
  •  Herkimer County, New York students report feeling safe in school in a recent survey.  School officials attribute the result to improved implementation of safety policies.
  •  The United States District Court in Tennessee has ruled that school officials may not regulate off-campus online speech by students when the student’s speech has no connection to the school whatever other than the fact that both the speaker and the targeted victim of the speech studied there.   Nixon v. Hardin County Bd. of Education.
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Safety Law News for 12/19/13

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  • Buckeye Firearms Foundation recently surveyed Ohio educators and discovered that at least 20 different school districts in Ohio have authorized individuals to carry firearms in schools.
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Safety Law News for 12/13/13

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  • A report by the Pennsylvania House Select Committee for School Safety concludes school safety could be improved if teachers wear wireless pendants so they can signal trouble, retired police officers are hired to screen visitors at entrances and students have access to more mental health services.
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Safety Law News for 12/9/13

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  • The Pennsylvania City of DuBois Police Department has revised a proposal to the DuBois Area School District in an effort to continue the 14-year-old School Resource Officer program.
  • The Georgia Court of Appeals has ruled that a high school student’s detention at a youth detention center does constitute a disciplinary suspension by school officials that requires due process under the State Education Code.  School officials did nothing more than exercise their discretion under the law to report alleged criminal action by the student.
  • The California Court of Appeal has held that immunity from liability does not apply when a school official provides a copy of her mandatory report of suspected child abuse by mother to the suspected victims’ father.  The case is Cuff v. Grossmont Union High School District.