• In Ohio, the Court of Appeals of Ohio held that school officials in the Madison Local School District did not have the authority to arm employees with firearms based on a policy that requires only “24 hours of active shooter/killer training, completed and passed a criminal background check, a drug screen, and a mental health evaluation.” Ohio law requires that, “[n]o public or private educational institution…shall employ a person as a special police officer, security guard, or other position in which such person goes armed while on duty, who has not received a certificate of having satisfactorily completed an approved basic peace officer training program, unless the person has completed twenty years of active duty as a peace officer.” (Gabbard v. Madison Local School District)
• The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, held that school officials and chaperones of a school-sponsored trip during which student contracted fatal illness were not entitled to summary judgment in a lawsuit brought by the parents. The court ruled that, “[a]lthough during school hours the standard is that of the reasonably prudent parent, a lesser standard, that of the reasonable and prudent person, is applicable in the context of a student’s voluntary participation in an intramural or extracurricular school sport.” (Tutaj v. Seaford Union Free School District)
• In Nevada, the Carson City Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to form a partnership with the Carson City School District to fund the School Resource Officer (SRO) program. Under the agreement, the city and school district will split the cost of the officers.
• In West Virginia, the Tyler County Sheriff is partnering with school officials to deploy a therapy dog on campuses as a means of creating relationships with children.