School Safety Law Blog – Page 71 – News and Information for School Safety

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Safety News for October 4th, 2018

by Bernie James • October 4, 2018

In Illinois, a school superintendent in Hutsonville went through nine months of police academy training to become a law enforcement officer so she could carry a concealed weapon at school and respond to an active shooter if necessary — something she says was “not even on my radar” a decade ago.

In Virginia, a school safety task force and their working groups in Chesterfield have been discussing ways to improve safety at public schools. They came up with multiple recommendations that start with school resource officers in every elementary school.

In Pennsylvania, officials in the Pittsburgh Public Schools are exploring a policy change that would allow police officers to carry guns. The request comes from the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers Union. The Pittsburgh Public Schools Police Chief told the board that officers need guns to do their jobs. The advocacy group for students and parents believe arming police officers will conflict with the district policy of restorative justice, mediation, and peaceful reconciliation of conflicts.

In North Dakota, Brownells, a national firearm dealer, donated AR-15s and other equipment for school resource officers in the Bismarck Public Schools.

In Indiana, officials in Johnson County are implementing a pilot program called Trust Based Relational Intervention or TBRI. TBRI tackles the issue of mental health and student wellness by teaching social skills and coping skills. Research shows that after implementation of TBRI schools experienced a 68% decrease in office referrals for physical aggression, and an 88% decrease in referrals for verbal aggression.

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Safety Law News for September 14th, 2018

by Bernie James • September 14, 2018

In Illinois, the deputy inspector general has issued a Report declaring “a disconnect” between Chicago police and Chicago schools. CPS and Chicago Police do not have an interagency agreement. There are also no hiring guidelines; no specialized training about dealing with kids; no crisis intervention training; and no de-escalation training for SROs. (Report Here)

In New York, the Garden City Police Department has published a four-part series of articles addressing back-to-school-safety issues. The articles topics include, Safe Driving Practices, School Bus Safety, and Pedestrian/Bicyclist Safety, and Stranger Danger.

In Maryland, officials in St. Mary’s schools are implementing a weapons abatement program which includes use of 20 handheld metal detector wands to scan students if necessary.

In New York, school-based law enforcement officers in all 400 New York City public schools will implement a policy of exercising discretion in substituting warning cards instead of criminal summonses to students committing minor offenses, like having a small amount of marijuana.

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Safety Law News for September 11, 2018

by Bernie James • September 11, 2018

In Florida, the legislature has refused to allow $58 million that was allocated to train school staff to act as armed guardians to be used instead to hire more campus police officers. Most school districts in Florida made it clear they wanted only sworn law enforcement officers to be armed and took a pass on the guardian money.

In Connecticut, the training of school-based police in the Hartford schools emphasizes keeping a professional image at all times. The motto is, “Don’t meet with students alone. Don’t text kids or give them rides. Fist bumps, yes; hugs, no. Be a trusted adult, not a friend.

In Indiana, officials in Lawrenceburg have installed an internet-based, mobile-friendly school security camera system. The project involved the installation of 226 cameras in all schools in the Lawrenceburg Community School Corporation. The system will be a new resource for local police departments; they have access to the camera system.

In Tennessee, every school in Sullivan County will have supplies of the opioid antidote Narcan. Under new state law, every school board in the state is required to implement a plan to give the medication to students believed to be having a drug overdose.

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Safety Law News for September 7, 2018

by Bernie James • September 7, 2018

In Massachusetts, a model memorandum of understanding governing the role of school resource officers in Massachusetts schools was released by the Massachusetts Attorney General, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

In Florida, the State School Safety Commission, investigating the Parkland school shooting said that law enforcement school resource officers should play a larger role at schools. Specifically, the commission is looking at recommending that school-based police be given more timely access to student education records.

In Virginia, school officials in Prince William County, Virginia finalized plans to put armed, retired police officers from Virginia law enforcement in elementary schools to provide an added layer of security. The schools are taking advantage of a Virginia law passed in 2017 that allows school districts to hire retired police officers, which are more affordable than school resource officers.

In North Carolina, the School Self-Defense Act (House Bill 1039) has been introduced. Under the proposed policy, teachers would be allowed to carry handguns in the classroom after completing 16 hours of active shooter training provided by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission.

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Safety Law News for September 4, 2018

by Bernie James • September 4, 2018

In New York, the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, ruled that educators were not liable to a child who was injured when students were “rough housing” in the hallway, resulting in the victim being grabbed and thrown on his head. The court reasoned that while schools have a duty to provide supervision to ensure the safety of students, they are only liable for foreseeable injuries proximately caused by the absence of adequate supervision. (Francis v. Mount Vernon Board of Education).

In Minnesota, the United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit held that a school was not liable to a teacher who was injured when he attempted to stop a lunchroom fight. The court reasoned that his lawsuit was preempted by the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Act because it was an injury sustained while on the job. (Ekblad v. Independent School District No. 625)

In Washington State, the United States District Court held that school officials did not violate the Fourth Amendment rights of a student by confiscating his cell phone for conducting a disciplinary investigation regarding the student’s forging of a permission slip. The court reasoned that the confiscation was consistent with a reasonable school policy to take cell phones to prevent a student from contacting anyone while an investigation was ongoing. (Rorvik v. Snohomish School District)

In New York, the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, ruled that a school district was not liable to a Middle school assistant principal for injuries sustained when she attempted to stop a fight between two students. The court reasoned that the school did not assume a special duty to the assistant principal, and that the administrator could not sue the school based on promises to improve security. (Morgan-Word v. New York City Department of Education).

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Safety Law News for August 30, 2018

by Bernie James • August 30, 2018

In Washington State, the Governor and the state superintendent issue statements declaring their opposition to a proposal by the U.S. Department of Education to arm teachers.

In Florida, residents of Lake County approved a special school safety tax. The tax of 75 cents for each $1,000 of taxable property value will help pay for school resource officers, mental-health counseling, early intervention efforts and other measures aimed at strengthening school safety.

In California, the legislature has sent three school safety bills to Gov. Brown’s desk. AB 3205, requires that any school modernization project done with money from the state’s school facility bond program include locks that allow doors to classrooms and any room with an occupancy of five or more people to be locked from the inside. AB 2888, amends the state’s existing “red flag” law to include school personnel. AB 1747 expands the required elements of school safety plans to include procedures to respond to active shooter situations.

In Arkansas, police chiefs submitted recommendations to the Governor’s School Safety Commission. One recommendation called on the commission to give schools training before they implement new security plans.