— In Texas, the Court of Appeals of Texas affirmed a lower court ruling that did not allow a school district to terminate a teacher for use of force in the classroom toward a student. The incident out of which the termination took place involved a teacher who “went into the classroom and encountered a young man he did not know. The young man began to walk toward (the teacher), who was in the doorway. (The teacher) asked the young man for identification, but the young man … refused to provide it. (The teacher) did not allow the unidentified young man to leave the classroom. Another CISD employee … also asked the young man for identification, but he refused (this) request as well. (The teacher) sought help by sending two other students to the office to ask for help in the classroom. (The teacher) also phoned the office and texted an assistant principal to get help. Before help could arrive, the young man escalated the encounter and was being aggressive. The young man grabbed (the teacher’s) upper arms in what (the teacher) described as an assault. The young man aggressively shoved (the teacher) in an attempt to exit the classroom. (The other employee) stepped aside, offering no help beyond what he had previously done in asking for the young man’s ID. The situation developed in a matter of seconds, culminating in both (the teacher) and the young man falling in a prone position on the ground. (The teacher) held the young man on the ground for approximately two minutes using the weight of his torso for control and using his left hand to pin the young man’s right hand. The young man used his free hand to repeatedly punch (the teacher) in the face … The encounter ended when the school principal arrived and instructed (the teacher) to release the young man. (The teacher) did not use a chokehold on the young man.” The school board determined that the teacher “did fail to maintain an appropriate professional educator-student relationship and boundary based on a reasonably prudent educator.” The appellate court affirmed the ruling of the lower tribunal (Commissioner of Education) that “the use of force was necessary under the criteria set out in state law.” The relevant law is that a “professional employee of a school district may not be subject to disciplinary proceedings for the employee’s use of physical force against a student to the extent justified … (1) if the actor is entrusted with the care, supervision, or administration of the person for a special purpose; and (2) when and to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is necessary to further the special purpose or to maintain discipline in a group.” Tex. Education Code 22.0512 and Tex. Penal Code § 9.62. The appellate court ruled that the teacher “acted reasonably during the restraint because, from his perspective, he reasonably believed that the use of force was necessary to produce compliance with the command to produce ID and to fulfill the special purpose of keeping the campus safe from an unknown and aggressive individual.” Crowley Independent School District v. Stoneham
— In Michigan, officials in Sturgis Public Schools are utilizing Raptor Technologies for visitor screening. Under the new procedure, “All first-time visitors to the building are required to have their state-issued identification scanned through the Raptor system. Once scanned, the visitor’s information is saved in the system for future visits. This scanning is done in the main office of each school building … After the visitor has been scanned and cleared to enter the building, a visitor badge will be printed. This badge should be placed in the upper chest area of the visitor’s shirt and must be worn at all times while inside the building … When the visitor’s visit is complete, they must return to the front office to turn in their badge. The front office staff will then sign the visitor out of the Raptor system.”
— In Texas, the Liberty Hill ISD has partnered with Raptor Technologies to implement a new panic alert system. The system uses a Raptor Badge Alert which provides staff with the option to signal an alarm with a click of the badge. “When a badge is activated, it transmits critical information—including the exact location and type of incident—directly to school administrators, security and first responders. The wearable device is valuable in situations such as student altercations, medical emergencies or campus-wide incidents like lockdowns.”
— In California, the Bernalillo Public Schools are implementing a clear backpack policy for grades 4 through 12. “The decision comes as a response to incidents involving knives and Tasers, as well as a growing issue with drugs, including vaping, among students.”