School Safety Law Blog – Page 73 – News and Information for School Safety

Safety Law News for November 13, 2017

by Bernie James • November 13, 2017

In Florida, Miami-Dade schools are implementing a new campus safety program. “Enhancing School Safety Officer Effectiveness through Online Professional and Job Embedded Coaching,” is an anti-violence program, funded by a $1 million federal grant from the National Institute of Justice. School resource officers will be trained on social-emotional learning, trauma-informed care, cultural competence and restorative problem solving.

In North Carolina, the Harnett County school board unanimously voted to allow school resource officers to store their long guns on campus. Each middle school and high school in the jurisdiction will install a gun safe with fingerprint access only for the SROs.

In California, the West Contra Costa Unified School District is planning to modify its school safety program. Officials will eliminate suspensions or expulsions solely on the basis of “disruption/willful defiance,” train educators in de-escalating conflict, reduce the number of school resource officers in schools, and revise the role of the remaining officers so that student discipline will be handled solely by school personnel, not law enforcement.

In Oregon, the Florence City Council is evaluating the effectiveness of its school resource officer program after its first year.

by Bernie James • November 10, 2017

In North Dakota school resource officers from Fargo schools talk about what they see happening at school and what they do about it.

In Michigan, the Senate approved legislation that will allow people with additional training to carry concealed weapons in schools. Some are calling it the “pistols in preschools” legislation.

In Connecticut, the Board of Education in Monroe approved a new policy in the school resource officer (SRO) memo of understanding to require officers to wear body cameras on school property.

In c school officials, the police, and the community in Louisville are debating the school resource officer program in the schools. Kentucky Department of Education data shows that the number of weapons found in the schools has increased while the number of assaults and arrests have nearly doubled. Some say the police are the problem.

by Bernie James • October 27, 2017

In Indiana, six officers from Clark County’s juvenile probation program will relocate their offices to the middle and high schools in Clarksville Community Schools, Greater Clark County Schools and West Clark Community Schools. The policy is designed to provide students on probation or at risk with better resources to succeed.

In California, officials in Santa Clara County are implementing an anti-bullying program that includes having school resource officers make presentations in elementary schools to arm students with knowledge about how to handle it.

In Maine, officials in Bar Harbor are implementing a school resource officers program. The memorandum of understanding with the Mount Desert Island Regional School System establishes guidelines on how the schools will interact with law enforcement.

In New Jersey, educators and police in Robbinsville have agreed to assign a second K-9 dog to the township’s schools. The dogs are used to sniff out explosives and tracking humans, like a lost child, missing person or a fleeing suspect.

by Bernie James • October 25, 2017

In New Mexico, the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled that a school resource officer violated the rights of a student by arresting him under a state law that makes it illegal to “willfully interfere with the educational process” at a public school. [Scott v. City of Albuquerque].

In Maine, the Lewiston police chief credits youth outreach for lower crime rate. It is the result of a cooperative effort from the Police Department, schools, social service providers, and the community.

In Florida, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is implementing a child protection domestic violence intervention program that alerts school resource officers when parents of children in their schools have been arrested on a domestic violence charge.

In California, the U.S. District Court ruled that a social worker violated the Fourth Amendment when she arrived at the school to conduct an interview with a child to complete an abuse investigation about the parents. Since the interview was not undertaken by school officials for the purposes of maintaining order in the school, the social worker needed a warrant, court order, parental consent, exigency, or at the very least, reasonable suspicion to seize and interview the child at school. [Dees v. County of San Diego].

by Bernie James • October 20, 2017

In Connecticut, the Monroe Board of Education has modified the school resource officer job description to include officers wearing body cameras on school property. The new language states, “The school resource officer shall use [the] body worn camera in accordance with the police department policy.”

In Arkansas, a partnership between the University of Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute and the Arkansas Department of Education will create the new Arkansas Center for School Safety. The mission of the Center is to make sure local law enforcement and educators are up to date on the best safety plans.

In California, the Governor signed into law a new policy that prevents individuals from carrying a concealed firearm onto school grounds. The law, AB 424, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2018, also strips the superintendent’s authority to give anyone written permission to conceal carry in school.

In South Carolina, officials in Richland County have amended the School Resource Officer Program to require that SRO’s to be trained to recognize students having emotional, physical, or intellectual disabilities.

by Bernie James • October 18, 2017

In Kentucky, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky ruled that the handcuffing of two small children was an unconstitutional seizure and excessive force. The court also found, as a matter of law, that Kenton County officials were liable for the handcuffing. The judge has ordered a trial be held to determine money damages.

Since 2010, there has been an 87% increase in school threats across the country according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. More recently, the Internet has become the primary threat source. Officials in the Kansas City, Missouri area received a threat posted on Snapchat that referenced the recent Las Vegas shooting, warning students not to come to school.

In Delaware, parents in the Caesar Rodney School District in Camden are seeking answers about the district’s approach to handling violent situations after a video of an assault of a special needs student was posted on social media.

In Colorado, officials in the Fountain 8 School District have added a canine to its school safety team. The dog is a nationally certified narcotics detection dog and can identify marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and psilocybin mushrooms.