— In New Mexico, the Court of Appeals of New Mexico ruled that a student’s statements, made when he was thirteen years old, to the assistant principal of his school, were presumptively inadmissible under a state law that provides that, “[t]here is a rebuttable presumption that any confessions, statements or admissions made by a child thirteen or fourteen years old to a person in a position of authority are inadmissible.” The court reasoned that the Legislature intended assistant principals to be included as persons in a “position of authority,” when the educator shares the information with a police officer who uses it to initiate a delinquency proceeding. [State v. Cesar B.]
— In Illinois, the City of Chicago is amending its requirements for school resource officers. Officers with recorded allegations of excessive force, or complaints of inappropriate interactions with youth will no longer be eligible to serve in schools. Officers will no longer be allowed to enter student names into the police department’s gang database nor cooperate with immigration officers.
— In North Carolina, school officials in Craven County say there is still a need for resource officers despite remote learning. School resource officers will still conduct security checks throughout the day, making sure there aren’t any problems. Some school workers are bringing their children to work because of the pandemic. School resource officers in Onslow County are also adjusting how they operate this year due to the pandemic with students returning to campus.
— In Virginia, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is upgrading its crisis intervention training program for school resource officers. It is adding a new module called Advanced Crisis Intervention. The advanced course focuses on children, with intellectual and developmental disabilities.