School Safety Law Blog – Page 123 – News and Information for School Safety

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Safety Law News for 7/11/13

by Bernie James • July 11, 2013

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine released recommendations from his school-safety task force of law enforcement, educators, mental health officials, firefighters and clergy. The task force called for schools to provide detailed floor plans for law enforcement, and calls on state lawmakers to provide unspecified funding for school resource officers, security upgrades for buildings and mental health services.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell signed into law 12 new school safety policies. The new laws provide for increased training and resources for educators, first responders, and mental health professionals in order to provide the safest school environment possible. Included is increased funding for school resource officers and mental health services, and a comprehensive statewide suicide prevention program.

The Miami County, Ohio commissioners have approved contracts with three county school districts (Bradford Village Schools, Milton Union Schools and Newton Schools), for the sheriff’s department to provide a school resource officer next school year.

Salisbury, North Carolina school administrators are fighting to reinstate and expand the school resource officers program after the state cut funding to the school system.

Superintendent Eric J. Becoats of the Durham, North Carolina Public Schools, endorses the national study commissioned by the National Institute of Justice that shows that school resource officers using the GREAT Program succeed in fostering a supportive atmosphere that teaches a sense of trust and personal responsibility.

Alabama has passed three laws – Senate Bill 383, House Bill 91 and House Bill 105, each of which increase safety measures in school and on buses.

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Safety Law News for 7/8/13

by Bernie James • July 8, 2013

Tennessee school systems – with and without with their own resource officers – aren’t showing any interest in a new Tennessee law allowing teachers with police training to carry guns.

The Maine legislature rejected a bill that would have allowed trained and vetted public school employees to carry concealed firearms. The Maine Education Association, the state’s teachers union, also opposed the bill, while the state’s association of school superintendents remained neutral on the proposal.

Virginia Governor McDonnell signed into law legislation that allows the hiring of more school resource officers (thanks to $1.3 million in grant funding), provides grants for security equipment improvements, and establishes campus threat assessment teams.

The Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Education Committee, called for the introduction of legislation to increase penalties for drivers who pass school buses when warning lights are activated to signal that students are entering or leaving a bus.

The Escambia County, Florida School Board unanimously voted to implement a new student rights policy that gives students the right ask for the school to call their parents if they are being questioned by a law enforcement officer.

Violent crime on elementary school campuses has jumped 33 percent in Washington D.C. in 2012-2013, while the crime rate at middle and high schools fell.

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Safety Law News for 7/3/13

by Bernie James • July 3, 2013

The Central Valley, New York School Board meets with area police chiefs to receive input on upcoming decision on whether or not to hire a school resource officer.

The Benton, Illinois School District cannot afford to hire resource officers. As a protective measure for students, the school board approved a proposal to provide office space for the Benton Police Department in exchange for visibility on campus.

The Safe Schools Task Force for Buncombe County, North Carolina releases a survey of parents who strongly supporting the idea of hiring new social workers and school resource officers.

The Argyle, Texas Independent School District approves a new policy of allowing faculty and staff to carry concealed firearms on the district’s campuses.

Colorado educators and law enforcement in the jurisdictions of Douglas County, Castle Rock, Parker, and Lone Tree announce a school safety plan that will place school resource officers in all schools, beginning with the next school year.

Louisiana Governor Jindal signed House Bill 718 into law. The new law will require schools to coordinate with local law enforcement, fire and public safety officials in preparing school safety and crisis management plans.

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Safety Law News for 7/1/13

by Bernie James • July 1, 2013

An agreement has been reached placing full-time school resource police officers in all Gurnee, Illinois schools.

The “bully bucket” has been introduced in Twin Falls, Idaho schools. When a student is bullied, he or she can fill out a form and drop it into the school’s “bully bucket.” The school’s resource officer and administrators review the forms and confront the school’s bullies face to face.

Highlane, Washington School Superintendent Susan Enfield and area administrators conduct a security review and leave unchanged the policy of allowing armed commissioned police officers who serve as school resource officers, armed school safety and security officers who cover an assigned area during the day and armed night/weekend security officers who patrol the grounds when schools are not in session.

The Milford, Connecticut Board of Aldermen approve a budget that includes nearly $300,000 for four armed school resource officers for the middle schools and high schools.

The Bedford County, Virginia Board of Supervisors unanimously rejected a proposal to pursue a U.S. Department of Justice COPS grant that would fund up to three school resource officers at the county’s elementary schools.

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Safety Law News for 6/24/13

by Bernie James • June 24, 2013

A smartphone app for sending photos that disappear within seconds is causing concern for educators and school resource officers who work in schools.

Butler County, Ohio Sheriff declares that he “won’t support a school levy again that doesn’t address school safety with armed personnel.”

Several Shelby County, Tennessee school commissioners are not in favor of the new state law that allows local school boards to choose whether to let certain qualified faculty and staff carry weapons.

Bethlehem and Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania City and district officials hope to bring back five school resource officers who were eliminated from the school budget by applying for a U.S. Department of Justice COPS grant. The grant would cover 75 percent of the cost of all five officers.

Colorado Governor Hickenlooper signed into law the bipartisan School Resource Bill. The new law bill defines “school resource officer” and “community partners” and expressly includes school resource officers as community partners for the purposes of school safety, readiness, and incident management.

Lancaster County, Nebraska officials vote unanimously to extend a contract between the Sheriff’s Office and the public school districts for continuing the school resource officer program.

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Safety Law News for 6/19/13

by Bernie James • June 19, 2013

• Kearney, Kentucky Public Schools profile the success of the triad approach in the performance of a local school resource officer.

• Two school districts in the State of Iowa – the Bondurant-Farrar School District and the Clinton School District – testify in favor of the SRO. School resource officers have had positive effects in their schools.

• The Brooks County, Georgia school board votes to eliminate the School Resource Officer Program. One parent vows to stand outside to guard her children’s schools herself if there are no SRO officers next school year.

• Montgomery County, Maryland officials vote to add six additional school resource officers to the public schools.

• The Wallenpaupack, Pennsylvania School Board votes to add $283,956.00 to the budget to hire four (4) additional school resource officers. The Superintendent says that the triad approach is what will make the addition of the SROs valuable to the school climate.

• The Sioux Falls, South Dakota Police Department is changing its School Resource Officer program to include more of a team approach. Instead of assigning an SRO to a specific school, the SRO’s will instead this fall be assigned to a quadrant so they can take a team approach to the public and private schools in their area.