Safety Law News for November 13, 2017 – School Safety Law Blog

In Florida, Miami-Dade schools are implementing a new campus safety program. “Enhancing School Safety Officer Effectiveness through Online Professional and Job Embedded Coaching,” is an anti-violence program, funded by a $1 million federal grant from the National Institute of Justice. School resource officers will be trained on social-emotional learning, trauma-informed care, cultural competence and restorative problem solving.

In North Carolina, the Harnett County school board unanimously voted to allow school resource officers to store their long guns on campus. Each middle school and high school in the jurisdiction will install a gun safe with fingerprint access only for the SROs.

In California, the West Contra Costa Unified School District is planning to modify its school safety program. Officials will eliminate suspensions or expulsions solely on the basis of “disruption/willful defiance,” train educators in de-escalating conflict, reduce the number of school resource officers in schools, and revise the role of the remaining officers so that student discipline will be handled solely by school personnel, not law enforcement.

In Oregon, the Florence City Council is evaluating the effectiveness of its school resource officer program after its first year.