• In Indiana, school resource officers in Hancock County are giving tickets to students caught vaping. The fine is more than $130 and school administrators notify parents of the incident. School officials hope the policy will discourage students.
• In Georgia, officials in Marietta are creating two new positions called School Gang Officers (SGOs) in the Marietta Police Department to “prevent and combat gang activity” in the Marietta city schools. The positions will be funded by the City of Marietta, the Marietta City School System (MCS) and the Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Service (COPS).
• In Louisiana, the Lafayette Parish School System and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office are launching an initiative to combat an increase in students directing threats at local schools. School resource officers will teach a series of classes on the crime of terrorizing, what one can and cannot say that qualifies as terrorizing, and tips for safe social media use. The goals is to help students understand that particular behaviors result in serious and harsh consequences.”
• Nationally, the National Council for Behavioral Health-Mental Aid First Aid USA is expanding its eight-hour Mental Health First Aid course. The training, first developed in Australia in 2001, is offered by universities, school districts, public safety departments, and public health agencies, usually for free or a nominal fee. It trains first responders, educators, school resource officers, mental health professionals and lay people on how to tell if somebody is experiencing a mental health crisis, and what steps can be taken to help.