— In Georgia, the United States Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of a case in favor of school resource officers who intervened in a school incident with physicality. The school resource officers came upon a “commotion and moved to the scene.” They “found (a coach) physically separating (two students) and believed the students were fighting.” They began “separating the two students. With one hand on each student, (one SRO) extended his right hand towards (the student) and made contact around (his) shoulder and neck.” The other SRO “then intervened, picking up (the same student) at the waist, carrying him away from the center of the action, throwing him to the ground, and dragging him across the floor. As a result, (the student’s) head struck the brick wall.” The injury lawsuit alleged (1) “unlawful seizure; (2) a § 1983 claim for excessive force; (3) a § 1983 claim for excessive corporal punishment; and (4) a state law battery claim.” The lower court “granted the officers summary judgment because (it) found … that both (officers) used only de minimis force in subduing (the student).” The appellate court affirmed. First, the court held that, “excessive force claims are judged under the Fourth Amendment’s objective reasonableness standard.” Second, the court stated that courts “must “examine the totality of the circumstances, including the severity of the crime at issue, whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of the officers or others, and whether the suspect is actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight.” Third, the court ruled that “our cases authorize the use of de minimis force because law enforcement officers may detain suspects and bystanders to protect themselves or others from harm or to gain control of an incident.” Finally, “the facts alleged, and the testimonial and video evidence presented, indicate that …only de minimis force not rising to the level of “excessive force” under the Fourth Amendment.” Glenn v. Britt
— In Colorado, officials in the Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora are considering deploying drone technology to respond to campus incidents. “The company Campus Guardian Angel held a demonstration … to highlight the new technology, which uses drone technology to partner with law enforcement to confront active shooter threats.”
— In Louisiana, the Lafayette Parish School System received national recognition for its school safety plan. It “is one of the few school districts in the country with a trained law enforcement officer on every single school campus.”
— In North Carolina, the Governor has vetoed legislation that would have eased gun restrictions in private schools. House Bill 193, would have allowed persons with a valid concealed carry permit to have a gun on private school grounds. The Governor said, “This bill would make our children less safe. Just as we should not allow guns in the General Assembly, we should keep them out of our schools unless they are in the possession of law enforcement. Law enforcement officers receive more than 800 hours of public safety education, including firearms training. On top of that, school resource officers receive additional training to know how to respond to crises and how to de-escalate conflicts, a requirement I supported when I was attorney general.”