School Safety Law Blog – Page 84 – News and Information for School Safety

Safety Law News for August 2, 2017

by Bernie James • August 2, 2017

In Tennessee, officials in Rutherford County are seeing a decrease in weapons-related offenses on campus. They say that students have developed relationships with school resource officers, making them feel comfortable with discussing weapons on campus.

In Wisconsin, the Madison School Board’s ad-hoc committee on Educational Resource Officers (EROs) is one-third of the way through its mandate process to make recommendations about the use of police in schools. So far, they have examined the role of EROs, racial discipline disparities and what happens if police are removed from the schools.

In North Carolina, Durham police officers will no longer teach the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) curriculum in Durham public schools. Most of the officers will remain on the campuses as School Resource Officers.

In Tennessee, the State Board of Education has put in place a set of emergency teacher discipline rules to keep teachers with prior misconduct from returning to the classroom as it considers more stringent rules for background checks and teacher discipline.

by Bernie James • July 28, 2017

In Minnesota, the head of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Juvenile Prosecution Division made a presentation in favor of keeping the SRO program. The data show that since 2006, the program produced a steady decline in school crime referrals in the last 10 years and improved the climate of the school campuses.

In Illinois, the Elgin City Council is moving ahead with the renewal of the SRO program. The sense in the community is that the SROs “working in our schools bring comfort to our students.”

In Ohio, the Ohio Court of Appeals ruled that a 13-year old seventh grader was in custody when he was questioned by an educator in the presence of a team of school resource officers during a campus lock-down in response to a bomb threat. The court found that the educator was acting as an agent of the police during the investigation and should have given Miranda warnings to the student. [In Re L.G.].

In Louisiana, the Court of Appeal of Louisiana upheld a search of a student by an educator. The teacher observed what he believed to be a hand-to-hand transaction between two students, one of whom was known to have issues with marijuana. The teacher asked the student to remove what he placed into his pocket and discovered marijuana. [State in Interest of K.L.]

by Bernie James • July 21, 2017

In Missouri, the Missouri court of Appeals ruled that the pat-down search of a student, pursuant to school policy authorizing searches of all students who arrive at school more than 30 minutes late, was unreasonable and thus unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment. [State v. Williams].

In North Carolina, the Durham Public Schools signed an agreement with the Durham Police Department to add school resource officers to every middle school that didn’t have them.

In New Jersey, officials in Barnegat Township are taking advantage of a state law in which retired law enforcement personnel can work in public schools as Class III officers. A new township ordinance authorizes the move. The new officers will supplement, not replace, school resource officers already in the schools.

In North Carolina, the Dalton Public Schools is implementing a random student drug-testing program this school year for all grade 6-12 students who participate in any extracurricular activities or receive a parking permit. A committee of educators, school social workers, counselors, school nurses, school resource officers and the Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership worked together to develop the district’s random drug-testing plan.

by Bernie James • July 13, 2017

In Arkansas, school resource officers are being trained under a new approach to active shooter incidents in schools. The “solo engagement” protocol is replacing the past policy of waiting for backup before engaging an active shooter.

In Alabama, Shelby County Schools and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office look to expand the Camp Journey Summer Camp. The five-day camp for students develops leadership, values, and provides a better understanding of law enforcement’s role in the community.

In Ohio, school resource officers in the Akron Public Schools will have the opioid overdose antidote Narcan on hand when school begins this fall.

In Maryland, the Montgomery County Public Schools are spending $1.5 million to upgrade security. The security upgrades were approved after two Rockville High School students were accused of sexually assaulting another student on campus. The improvements will include vestibules near entrance doors, security gates, lock changes, upgraded security cameras, and the hiring of additional school resource officers.

by Bernie James • July 6, 2017

In Kansas, officials in Topeka are implementing a new school-based discipline memorandum of understanding that formalizes the collaboration among the school district, Topeka Police Department, Shawnee County Corrections and the Kansas Children’s Service League that operates the county’s juvenile intake facility.

In Pennsylvania, the state Senate approved legislation that allows school teachers to carry firearms at their schools. Senate Bill 383 is meant to ensure campus safety especially in rural where response times can vary.

In Wisconsin, a sixth-grade teacher held back tears at a school board meeting as she explained why student abuse was forcing her to resign her job at a Green Bay middle school. Police were called to the middle school almost daily in the past school year.

In Maryland, the Montgomery County Public Schools are spending $1.5 million to upgrade security. The security upgrades were approved after two Rockville High School students were accused of sexually assaulting another student on campus. The improvements will include vestibules near entrance doors, security gates, lock changes, upgraded security cameras, and the hiring of additional school resource officers.

by Bernie James • June 28, 2017

In Ohio, the Ohio Court of Appeals upheld a trial court ruling that found a 12-year-old delinquent for violating a state law that provides that “No person, with knowledge of its character or content, shall recklessly… [d]irectly sell, deliver, furnish, disseminate, provide, exhibit, rent, or present to a juvenile, a group of juveniles, …any material or performance that is obscene or harmful to juveniles.” The juvenile “sexted” a photograph depicting the bare breasts of a 12-year-old classmate to other students. [In Re L.Z.].

In Colorado, the Governor signed into law HB 17-1302, the Juvenile Sexting Crime Act. Under the law, prosecution of juveniles who text sexual pictures takes a multi-tiered approach that defines varying levels of sexting from a civil infraction that carries a $50 fine to felony charges for more serious cases.

In Minnesota, St. Louis County school officials say the School Resource Officer Program has been a huge success. The district had a grant to pay for the program. Once that funding ran out, they couldn’t support the program. The St. Louis County Board has signed on to provide 100 percent of the funding.

In Georgia, Savannah officials report that referrals by school resource officers dropped from 189 in 2014 to 115 in 2016. School resource officers, school administrators and teachers are using positive behavior intervention training instead of zero-tolerance.