— In North Carolina, the Court of Appeals of North Carolina ruled that a student is entitled to Miranda warnings prior to being interrogated by his school principal when the school resource officer (SRO) is present but does not ask questions. Days prior to the questioning by the administrator, the student was questioned by the SRO after a school bus driver confiscated drugs from the student. The court ruled that the subsequent questioning, in which the student again confessed to buying the drugs from a fellow student, required Miranda warnings based on the “enhanced protections” of Miranda and state law. Matter of D.A.H.
— In Florida, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a school safety bill to address the issues revealed in the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. House Bill 7035 will require schools to develop plans to quickly notify parents if a school is suddenly shut down or evacuated during an emergency. The bill also would require schools to develop a reunification plan for parents and students during an emergency and make it easier for schools to contract for mental health services.
— In Arizona, the Arizona Superintendent of Education is earmarking $21.3 million for schools to hire new counselors and social workers. The funding will cover the salaries of 71 new counselors and 69 social workers in district and charter schools.
— In Minnesota, officials for the Minneapolis Public Schools are implementing their revised school safety program after the removal of sworn police officers. Before removing the officers from the Minneapolis Police Department there were 14 officers deployed to the city schools. Now 13 “civilian safety specialists,” some of whom had been on staff previously and all of whom have prior law enforcement experience patrol the schools. The new personnel are not armed, do not carry handcuffs or pepper spray, are not uniformed, and have no power of arrest.