Safety Law News for July 10, 2020

— In Arizona, the Phoenix Union Governing Board announced it will modify its Intergovernmental Agreement with Phoenix Police for School Resource Officers for the 2020-2021 academic year.  They will use off-duty officers, when needed, to assist with required law enforcement notifications, campus and community safety needs, and other mandatory reporting issues. Officers will be assigned to districts, not schools.

— In Delaware,  the Red Clay Consolidated School District board struck down a resolution that would have eliminated school resource officers. Instead, the board will keep the SRO program and will form an advisory committee to further discuss the issue with the community and students and gather more data.  It follows a similar decision by the Christina School District to keep its police officers.

— In Arizona, the Tolleson Union High School District is renewing its use of police officers on campus after receiving another three years of state grant funding.  The officer on its high school campus is tasked with the additional duties of educating students and school personnel with information about topics such as dealing with peer pressure, child abuse, gangs, drug awareness.

— In Illinois, the board for the Oak Park and River Forest High School District has voted to terminate the school resource officer program.  Terminating the agreement, they said, had more to do with getting rid of a program that they don’t believe comports with the restorative justice and racial equity-centered direction the school is going in.