— In Maryland, the Court of Appeals of Maryland ruled that the Federal Coverdell Act did not preempt a lawsuit brought by parents against a school in response to bullying and physical attacks on their child. The court held that the Coverdell Act, which “provides teachers with protection from being liable for money damages for the harm they cause through negligent acts,” does not prevent Maryland from enforcing its policy that makes the county school board liable “for the acts or omissions of its employees.” Gambrill v Board of Education of Dorchester County.
— In Michigan, school resource officers across the state are shifting from DARE to TEAM. In more than 250 school districts the officers are receiving the four-day TEAM training, a school-based, law-related curriculum, from the Michigan State Police. The Teaching, Educating and Mentoring School Liaison Program (TEAM) differs from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Program by reaching students in grades K-12 on topics like personal safety, how to reach emergency services, bullying, social media use, vaping, and dating violence.
— In Georgia, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office is assigning three deputies to mobile patrols that will primarily focus on safety at the county’s 20 elementary schools. Unlike the middle school and high school, police have not been deployed on elementary campuses on a full-time basis. The roving SROs will conduct routine patrols.
— In Florida, an audit of the Santa Rosa County School District found several failures by the board and superintendent affecting school safety. School resource officers were not trained properly on mental health crisis intervention. Students were not getting specialized training in mental health as required by a special grant. Student records privacy issues, previously cited, were not yet resolved.