Safety Law News for October 6, 2015

  • In Utah, a new school safety communications platform has been created. The system is called DIR-S. It incorporates a floor plan of the school and an instant messaging platform that allows all faculty and staff in the building with a computer, cell phone or tablet to instantly communicate.
  • In Arkansas, school officials and police officers in the Springdale School District are expanding an anti-gang education program to all fifth- and seventh-graders. The Gang Resistance Education and Training program teaches lessons focus on life skills, including making good choices, and give children a chance to interact with police officers.
  • In Texas, the Hutto Independent School District has installed a new emergency management and crisis preparedness system. “Rapid Responder” is a site-based crisis management system that provides school administrators and first responder’s instant access to site-specific emergency response information.

Safety Law News for October 2, 2015

  • In San Diego County, California, a dozen school districts will soon have School Resource Officers and Truancy Intervention Probation Officers on campus under a new program to reduce violence and truancy.

 

Safety Law News for September 29, 2015

  • In Pennsylvania, the Dallas School District is implementing a Safety Patrol Program that uses fifth-grade students to provide extra eyes and ears on school buses.

Safety Law News for September 22, 2015

  • In California, the Court of Appeal ruled that school officials have the authority to ask a school resource officer to search a student based upon reasonable suspicion. In the case a combination of facts created reasonable suspicion, including the student being caught on campus cutting class and having gang-style writing on his notebook. [In re Henry J.]
  • In New Hampshire, the Supreme Court ruled that a failure by school officials to comply with school bullying policy does not create a private right of action to sue the school district for injuries to a student. New Hampshire law gives educators immunity from this type of lawsuit. [Gauthier v. Manchester School District].

Safety Law News for September 18, 2015

  • The United States Court of Appeals has ruled that school officials have qualified immunity when accessing a student’s social-networking account upon receiving information that the student sent threatening online messages to another student, where those remarks concerned school activities and where the quarrel began at a school-related function. [Jackson v. Ladner].
  • The United States District Court in Pennsylvania has ruled that school officials can be liable for preventing a student from obtaining medical treatment. In the case, a sixth grade student suffering from chronic asthma died because school policy prevented her from taking medication without the supervision of a nurse. No nurse was on duty on the day of the fatal asthma attack. [Estate of Massey v. City of Philadelphia].
  • In Virginia, the Commonwealth has awarded 519 schools School Security Equipment Grants totaling $6 million for video monitoring systems, metal detectors, classroom locks, electronic-access controls, visitor-identification systems and other security upgrades.
  • In Missouri, the Ritenour and Riverview Gardens school districts are using the new mobile school safety platform CrisisManager. CrisisManager communicates emergency response data to schools, local emergency responders, police departments and fire departments.

Safety Law News for September 15, 2015

  • In Texas, students and faculty throughout Lake Dallas ISD held a celebration called “SRO Day” where they honored their school resource officers on their campuses.
  • In Tennessee, all 49 Sumner County schools have implemented “LobbyGuard,” a visitor management automated system that screens each person who comes into a school. Visitors check in at a touch monitor in the front lobby. The system immediately notifies the school’s resource officer and the principal, who receive an email and a text message.
  • In Michigan, Attorney General Bill Schuette is promoting the hotline and online student safety system called OK2SAY. It allows students to report potential harm or criminal activities aimed at students, teachers, staff or other school employees.