- In Ohio, officials in the Lima City Schools announced Wednesday the implementation of a K-9 program during the upcoming school year. The dogs will be used to find narcotics and gunpowder in the schools and they’ll also act as therapy dogs, helping calm stressed students and children in special education programs. They will also act as a gateway for students who can interact with the dog while becoming comfortable interacting with the SROs.
- The following school districts have announced that every school will have a school-based police officer assigned to maintain safety: North Providence, Rhode Island; Colbert County, Alabama Schools; Johnson City, Tennessee Schools; Lafayette Parish, Louisiana Schools; and St. Tammany Parish Louisiana Schools; Louisa County, Virginia Public Schools; St. Lucie County Florida Schools; and Wythe County, Virginia Schools;
- In Georgia, officials in Fayette County are deploying a long rifle inside every middle and high school in the county. It will be locked in a safe in the police officer’s office.
- In Florida, the Sheriff’s Office in Orange County has committed $168,000 for heavy-duty body armor and helmets. The goal is to provide protection for police officers in an active shooter situation.
- In Louisiana, educators in the St. Tammany Parish Public Schools are planning to implement a new cellphone policy with progressive consequences for students who violate its provisions. Under the policy, cell phones can be used only in case of emergency, which the board has defined “as an actual or imminent threat to public health or safety which may result in loss of life or injury.”