— In Indiana, the Court of Appeals of Indiana affirmed termination of parental rights of a mother based upon school safety concerns. The juvenile court ruled that there was a clear correlation between student’s dangerous behavior at school and the parent’s neglect, domestic abuse, and poor home conditions. The incidents on campus included “physical and verbal aggression towards staff and students, threats of violence towards himself and others, and a refusal to follow directions.” In one incident, the student “attempted to take the school resource officer’s gun.” On appeal, the judges ruled that termination of parental rights was in the student’s best interests. “The evidence also established that (the) Mother did not demonstrate the appropriate level of concern in connection to Child’s dangerous behaviors…(the) Child’s behavior improved when his contact with (the) Mother was limited and DCS’s plan for adoption, with an adoptive family having been identified, would provide (the) Child with much needed stability.” R B v. Indiana Department of Child Services
— In Illinois, the Champaign Unit 4 School Board voted unanimously to return school resource officers to schools. The removal of the police was the direct result of staffing shortages. “Between January 2019 and July 2021, the Champaign Police Department saw 32 officers leave its ranks.” The result was a delay in hiring, training, and deployment of officers to the schools.
— In Pennsylvania, the New Castle Area School District “is proceeding with establishing a police force, naming a police chief and hiring two officers.” School officials intend more officers – “to have one officer in each school.” “The police officers will function as a police department (having) detaining and arrest powers and the authority to make arrests, file citations for disorderly conduct or other minor offenses and file major criminal charges by juvenile petitions.”
— In Arizona, Student gun threats are on the rise in Arizona schools. “In 2022, police handled an average of two gun threat incidents a day. From 2019 to 2022, emergency calls from schools came in, on average, about 10 times a week.”