— In Texas, the United States District Court denied the motion of a school to dismiss the lawsuit of a parent whose seven-year-old child committed suicide. The parents alleged that ongoing bullying on account of his race and special needs diagnosis was the cause. The court agreed that the lawsuit had a proper basis. The material facts were in dispute on whether the school had notice of the bullying, which included racial slurs, name-calling, and physical assault, yet did nothing to prevent or otherwise address the behavior. The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 504”), and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VI”) provide remedies for student injuries. Chaney v. East Central Independent School District
— In Alabama, the Mobile County Board of Education is considering a revision to its school safety policy that would allow its school resources officers to carry guns. Under the current policy the officers are unarmed. The mass shooting at a Texas elementary school is causing the officials to review the issue.
— In Ohio, the Governor is funding $4.8 million in school safety grants, to 98 schools in 27 counties. The program, administered through the Ohio School Safety Center, will allow the schools to implement safety upgrades.
— In Connecticut, the results of a survey conducted by the Norwalk Public Schools reveals that students in its middle and high schools are more concerned about safety and feel less engaged in the classrooms than their younger peers. 6,500 students in grades 3 to 12, 1,420 teachers and 3,727 families participated in the survey. Students in grades 6 through 12 responded least favorably to questions about school climate (41 percent) and school safety (48 percent). In comparison, 64 percent of younger students responded favorably about school climate and 56 percent were favorable about school safety.