Safety Law News for 6/1/12

  • Connecticut educators discuss how to define bullying, even as they acknowledge the perception that, “Anything that happens, it all becomes bullying.” They note the need to distinguish bullying, civil rights violations, and criminal actions. In addition, a video provides details on how police fight online misconduct.
  • After a Maine student wrote a letter to educators explaining how she was bullied and sharing her frustration at the school’s apparent lack of response, she posted the letter online. The response to her was international, and thanks to the action of educators in her district, she is on the way to resolving her concerns.
  • A Pennsylvania school board has expelled students for bomb threats, while allowing the students to apply for readmission in twelve months. There was no actual danger, but educators said they had to respond seriously.
  • A senior prank became a safety hazard when students threw baby oil-filled water balloons at school—not to mention the food fight, crickets, and snakes. Some prank participants are banned from graduation. Others, who were less involved, will be escorted by their parents and monitored during graduation.

School Safety Law News for 5/31/12

  • San Antonio schools will track students with chips embedded in ID cards, which only work on buses and on campus, in an effort to increase attendance funding. Student privacy is a concern, while one board trustee says that she does not want administrators to begin tracking teachers’ movements with imbedded chips.

School Safety Law News for 5/25/12

  • A student was disciplined for a “death list,” in which he named people who would die by driving off Mount Rushmore and by being run over by a moose. He called it a joke between classmates, but Massachusetts educators suspended him for almost an entire school year.
  • When a student brought a track and field starter gun to school, some students reported it as a handgun and the school went into lockdown. The district is reexamining how it notifies parents about emergencies.

School Safety Law News for 5/24/12

  • Two Ohio elementary school students are facing criminal charges after one of them brought a loaded gun to school on Thursday. Both of them tried to hide it, but got caught.

School Safety Law News for 5/21/12

  • Positive Alternatives is an alternative to suspension for middle and high school students. Students referred to the program go to the club daily and get at least a portion of their school work under way so they do not fall further behind.

School Safety Law News for 5/16/12

  •  Two students gave away their plans for a Columbine-style shooting, when they posted about their plans on Facebook. One of the teens posted that he was going to teach “TRIGGERnometry.”
  • An Arkansas school is planning to require random drug tests for students participating in extracurriculars — and, while the testing has yet to begin, students are already concerned about ending drug use. Before students are tested, both students and parents must provide written consent.