— In Minnesota, the United States Court of Appeals applied the standard of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, to vacate the decision of the lower court that allowed school officials to discipline students who wore T-shirts displaying a Smith & Wesson logo and the image of a revolver. The court held that the more lenient standard for student speech restrictions in a nonpublic forum from the case of Hazelwood Sch. Dist. v. Kuhlmeier, did not apply because the T-shirts were not school sponsored. On remand the issue will be whether a disruption was caused by the wearing of the T-shirts. N.J. by Jacob v. Sonnabend
— In Virginia, the Henrico Public Schools requested $5 million from county supervisors to increase school security. The request is for 10 additional school resource officers, in addition to expediting the school system’s camera replacement/enhancement plans. The officers would not be involved with behavior management but would instead be used to help secure school buildings and fill the gaps that may exist with staffing. The officers would also undergo rigorous training to ensure they are qualified to handle a mass emergency in a school.
— In Virginia, the Roanoke City Public School Board approved a new set of safety measures for the upcoming school year. Elements of the revised program include school resource officers in each school, an increase the number of cameras on campuses, replacing antiquated lock sets, the creation of new security technician position, a safety tip line system, and adding additional assistant principals.
— In Iowa, the Cedar Rapids School Board voted to approve the district’s School Resource Officer contract with Cedar Rapids Police. The Board had previously tabled the issue, due in part to a lack of survey data from students regarding the program. The SRO program received full support from the Cedar Rapids City council at a June meeting. The Cedar Rapids Police Department recommendation was also for continuing the program in Cedar Rapids schools.