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Safety Law News for July 14, 2020

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— In Kentucky, the United States District Court ruled that school police had probable cause to arrest a parent for terroristic threatening in the second degree.  The parent, in anger, told a school administrator, “[i]f you let bullies run your school, there’s going to be an issue like Sandy Hook…if I have to run through the woods in a ghillie suit, I’m going to protect him.”  The parent was dissatisfied after multiple meetings with school officials about his son’s victimization at the hands of other students.  The court ruled that probable cause requires only the probability of criminal activity, not some type of prima facie showing and that it was sufficient that the officer believed the school was under imminent threat of harm. (Adams v. Wechsler)

— In Oklahoma, the Board of Education for Oklahoma City Public Schools voted to renew its school resource officers program with the Oklahoma City Police Department.  School resource officers are permitted to arrest anyone violating state or city laws. They are instructed to prevent “improper conduct” and trespassing, the contract states.

— In Missouri, officials in Camden County have agreed to place resource officers in its schools for the first time.  With the help of a grant, the full-time school resource officers will be deployed to schools for three years.

— In Massachusetts, the Northampton School Committee passed a nonbinding resolution urging the Northampton City Council to not employ school resource officers in district schools.

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Safety Law News for July 10, 2020

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— In Arizona, the Phoenix Union Governing Board announced it will modify its Intergovernmental Agreement with Phoenix Police for School Resource Officers for the 2020-2021 academic year.  They will use off-duty officers, when needed, to assist with required law enforcement notifications, campus and community safety needs, and other mandatory reporting issues. Officers will be assigned to districts, not schools.

— In Delaware,  the Red Clay Consolidated School District board struck down a resolution that would have eliminated school resource officers. Instead, the board will keep the SRO program and will form an advisory committee to further discuss the issue with the community and students and gather more data.  It follows a similar decision by the Christina School District to keep its police officers.

— In Arizona, the Tolleson Union High School District is renewing its use of police officers on campus after receiving another three years of state grant funding.  The officer on its high school campus is tasked with the additional duties of educating students and school personnel with information about topics such as dealing with peer pressure, child abuse, gangs, drug awareness.

— In Illinois, the board for the Oak Park and River Forest High School District has voted to terminate the school resource officer program.  Terminating the agreement, they said, had more to do with getting rid of a program that they don’t believe comports with the restorative justice and racial equity-centered direction the school is going in.

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Safety Law News for July 7, 2020

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— In Ohio, the Columbus Police Chief will not renew the school resource program after the end of the contract with the Columbus City Schools.  The three-year contract expired on June 30.  The decision is proactive in light of a prior decision by the school district to create a committee to analyze the district’s use of school resource officers and their possible removal.

— In Arizona, the Tempe Union Governing Board is considering changes to its school safety program.  A high school senior delivered an extemporaneous 11-minute speech to the Board on what he called its “misguided” effort to eliminate SROs on four campuses.  His comments included his belief that, “[a]n SRO is not the reason that George Floyd died,” and “for us to entertain this conversation is … a disservice to what really needs to be said,” and that he and his fellow students have had “many more interactions involving racial bias and mistreatment from teachers and administrators than with any SRO,” and said the board should be talking with students about that and changing the culture in schools rather than look at resource officers.

— In Massachusetts, the Framingham School Committee has unanimously recommended that the district undertake a series of changes to improve the school resource officer program.  The recommendations include provide de-escalation training, frequent meetings between officers and students, a centralized review process whenever there is a hands-on incident, and “Know Your Rights” training for students.

— In Illinois, the Peoria Public Schools will not to renew its contract with the Peoria Police Department to provide school resource officers in its schools.  The school district will employ its own security department with unarmed officers. It is currently exploring operating its own certified police department with armed officers who have all authorized police powers.

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Safety Law News for June 30th, 2020

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— In Illinois, the Chicago Board of Education rejected a motion to remove Chicago police officers from the schools.  The district also implemented a formal complaint process. Complaints against SROs will go to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigates claims of police misconduct.

— In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the debate about whether police officers should be in the schools will pick up again with the Edmonton Public School Board chair asking for a do-over.  Previously, the Board voted to suspend the SRO program while conducting a review of the role of the officers in protecting students.  A dissenting trustee who wants officers on campus to act as a deterrent, has resigned from the Board.

— In Massachusetts, School Committee members for the Haverhill Public Schools District unanimously voted down the request of the mayor to remove its school resource officer.  The mayor wants to reallocate the funds to bring an additional school adjustment counselor into the system.

— In California, officials in Oakland voted unanimously to eliminate the Oakland school police force.  The district will hire more social workers, psychologists and restorative justice practitioners.

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Safety Law News for June 26, 2020

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— In New York,  the Syracuse City School District is discussing police reform.  Police Chief Kenton Buckner has said he’d like to remove police from schools.  Mayor Ben Walsh is open to the idea.

— In Colorado, officials in the St. Vrain Valley confirmed their intention to continue the district’s school resource officer program.  “We are committed to continuing the SRO program in St. Vrain,” school board President Joie Siegrist said. “There isn’t data that would support that the program is harmful or discriminatory.”

— In Vermont, the Burlington School Board voted to continue the district’s school resource officer program.  The decision stipulates that the police must collaborate with the board and district to make adjustments to what role the officers play this upcoming school year. 

— In Minnesota, the Saint Paul Public Schools joined a wave of school districts in the state in voting to remove its school resource officers from their schools.  Officials in Winona and Minneapolis have already done so.

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Safety Law News for June 23, 2020

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— In Massachusetts and Washington State, school officials are coming out against recommendations to cancel the school resource officer program.  The educators say, “our school resource officers are just that—a wonderful resource to our students and our staff. They make connections with kids and uplift our school communities.”

— In California,  the San Francisco Board of Education announced a resolution to break its current relationship with the San Francisco Police Department.  The resolution, to be voted on, calls for the termination of the contract with the police, directs district staff to limit their reliance on officers and would redirect all money associated with the police into health and wellness programs.

— In Kentucky, the Lincoln County Board of Education voted to renew and expand its school resource officers program.  The new agreement will deploy an additional officer to its elementary schools.

— In Oregon, students enrolled in the Portland Public Schools have created a petition calling on the school board to keep its school resource officer program.  The petition has gotten more than 500 signatures.