Safety Law News for January 25th, 2021

In Ohio, the United States Court of Appeals ruled that reckless conduct by an elementary school principal and assistant principal eliminated governmental immunity from claims by parents of a third-grade student who committed suicide after several violent incidents at school.  The court ruled that immunity under state law was not available for schools that fail to report child abuse, fail to inform parents about prior threats, fail to discipline the student assailants, and fail to call 911 after a serious assault.  Meyers v. Cincinnati Bd. of Education

— In Nevada, officials in Clark County have a new incentive for reopening schools as quickly as possible despite the COVID-19 pandemic.  An investigation into a rise of student suicides found a correlation linking the deaths to school closings.  The school board gave the green light to phase in the return of some elementary school grades and groups of struggling students

— In California, the Fremont Unified School District has reinstated its campus police officer program after ending funding for the program in November 2020.  The board is requesting meetings with the Fremont Police Department about how to incorporate ideas from a task force to create more accountability and measurable goals for the SRO program.

— In Indiana, officials in  Michigan City have decided to renew its contract for school resource officers on the condition that there be “more community involvement in determining who will serve as a school resource officer.”  The city council wants officers to be trained in de-escalation and how to work with teens.