— In Pennsylvania, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania affirmed the arrest and conviction of a person who “refused to leave the school as directed to by police.” The dispute arose when the person went to the school “to speak to the principal and deliver paperwork to make the school administration aware of the change in masking requirements, stating that the mask requirement was unconstitutional… (The person) was asked to put on a mask, but refused… (the person) refused to leave the building…(stating that) he had a right to be inside the school because he paid taxes.” The school resource officers “viewed (the person) as a possible safety threat… and began to escort (the person) out of the school, telling him multiple times that he would have to leave the premises.” One officer “attempted to pull (the person) out the door while (the person) pushed back and attempted to remain inside. (The person) attempted to get back into the school and began wrestling with the two officers.” It took both officers “to take (the person) to the ground outside the building… (where he) was handcuffed and informed that he was under arrest.” The person challenged “the authority of the school police officers to arrest him, the sufficiency of the evidence for his convictions, and also claims that the guilty verdicts (were) contrary to the weight of the evidence provided.” The appellate court, affirming the “convictions for resisting arrest, defiant trespass, disorderly conduct, and harassment,” ruled that the person “was not removed from the school building because he refused to wear a mask; he was removed from the building because he did not have an appointment with any school personnel and thus had no legitimate reason to be on the premises.” As to the duties of school resource officers, the appellate court held that a “school police officer appointed under section 1302-C(b) shall possess and exercise all the following powers and duties: (1) To enforce good order in school buildings, on school buses and on school grounds in the respective school entities.” The appellate court summarized the rule of law for trespass onto school property: “(a person) may have thought that he had a right to be on the property, but once he was told that he could not remain in the building without an appointment, any right to remain clearly ceased.” Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Bettis
— In Florida, the Columbia County School Board is deploying a K-9 team from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office to its high school. The canine is “uniquely trained in the detection of basic explosives, gunpowder, gun oils, and gun parts.”
— In New York, officials in the New York City are “launching the nation’s first Emergency Alert System that links schools directly to 911, ensuring help can be initiated within seconds.” The new protocol will provide each school “with multiple fixed buttons and wireless lanyards that can trigger a hard lockdown alert. Once activated, a signal goes directly to 911 dispatch in under 10 seconds, straight to the NYPD’s real-time operations.”
— In Texas, officials in the Boerne ISD are deploying drones to enhance response times in an active shooter situation. Officials state that “when the drones are deployed, a team of highly skilled pilots uses virtual reality and cameras to navigate around a school.” As to response, “the goal is for the drones to confront a school shooter within 15 seconds.” The drones are equipped to “use loud sirens, flashing lights, pepper balls and even direct strikes to distract a threat.”