— In Massachusetts, the United States Court of Appeals ruled that a school did not violate the rights of two students by suspending them for their speech and conduct in bullying their fellow team members on a school-sponsored team. The misconduct included circulating photos and videos on SnapChat of team members taken without their consent. The appellate court upheld the school anti-bullying policy, holding that “courts generally defer to school administrators’ decisions regarding student speech so long as their judgment is reasonable.” The court ruled that Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. ex rel. Levy (141 S. Ct. 2038, 2045, 210 L.Ed.2d 403 (2021)), did not protect the misconduct because here the bullying “targets and invades the rights of an individual student.” Doe v. Hopkinton Public Schools
— In Connecticut, the superintendent for the Manchester schools is urging parents to help educators in dealing with students’ bad behavior. According to the educators students are struggling in “transitioning back to school, which has led to more altercations than usual.”
— In Florida, the Orlando Police Department is increasing the number of school resource officers at schools because of the number of fights. Educators and police are asking parents to help in a program that allows parents to volunteer.
— In Michigan, the legislature voted to increase funding for police officers in schools after the shootings at the Oxford High School. The amendment boosts the $10 million funding to $50 million. Schools would have to apply for grants to get a share of that money.