by Bernie James • • Comments Off on Safety Law News for 8/1/14
The Dardanelle, Arkansas Board of Education terminated its school resource officer program with the Dardanelle Police Department in favor of partnering with the Yell County Sheriff’s Office for the upcoming school year. The main reason for the switch was because the city police often had to pull the SRO during the school year. The county has assured the school board that its SRO will stay put.
School Resource Officers in Georgia will soon be trained to implement the CHAMPS program. The CHAMPS program, or Choosing Healthy Activities and Methods Promoting Safety, is sponsored by the Georgia Sheriff’s Association and targets fifth-graders. SROs will each be certified after taking the 80-hour CHAMPS certification course.
Federal court rules that a school resource officer did not use excessive force in arresting 18-year-old student who was arguing with his girlfriend, cursing officer, and refusing to obey officer’s commands to go to the school office. [Nichols v. Bourbon County Sheriff’s Department.]
Federal court upholds student suspension and transfer for misconduct on the Internet. A song that the high school student posted on social networking websites, in which he used vulgar and threatening language to levy charges that two coaches had improper contact with female students, was not protected by the First Amendment. [Bell v. Itawamba County School Board].