— In Rhode Island, the United States District Court granted the request of a student for additional discovery in her lawsuit against school officials and a police officer. The black female student’s claim arose out of a fight at school with a white female student. “(T)he school resource officer, … decided to arrest her for disorderly conduct…stat(ing) repeatedly that he needed to “make an example” of her. He insisted that talking to students instead of arresting them “doesn’t work.”” The student was arrested, handcuffed, taken away in the back of a police car. While the court dismissed the student’s claim on abuse of process for the officer’s desire to “make an example” of her “((it) may have been misguided or even cruel, it was not an improper purpose”), the court agreed that more discovery was required to obtain “details about other students who have been disciplined after fighting… to properly develop comparators.” T.J. by and through Johnson v. Rose
— In Michigan, the Governor announced that new funding will be earmarked to provide school resource officers for schools across the state. Over the next three years, educators will have access to $25 million. Nearly 200 school districts, intermediate school districts and public-school academics are receiving the grants.
— In Illinois, the Pulaski County School Board has created a School Security Committee, whose primary role is to meet periodically to evaluate plans related to improving school safety and security in its schools. The committee will also serve as an advisory board on security issues and make recommendations on capital projects that will improve school security and safety on each campus.
— In Tennessee, Williamson County are partnering school resource officers with a therapy dog. The canine will go from school to school, trained to work with special needs students and students who are having a difficult day.