-- In Oklahoma, the United States District Court held that the state policy of separating the use of male and female restrooms and changing areas in public schools based on a student's biological sex did not violate the rights of students who identify as transsexual. The policy states that, “(t)o ensure privacy and safety, each public school and public charter school that serves students in prekindergarten through twelfth grades in this state shall require every multiple occupancy restroom or changing area designated as follows: 1. For the exclusive use of the male sex; or 2. For the exclusive use of the female sex. Each public school or public charter school in this state shall provide a reasonable accommodation to any individual who does not wish to comply with the provisions of subsection B of this section. A reasonable accommodation shall be access to a single occupancy restroom or changing room.” The court held that the Equal Protection Clause did not invalidate the law because, “(s)eparating students based off biological sex (which both parties agree the statute does) so that they are able to use the restroom, change their clothes, and shower outside the presence of the opposite sex is an important governmental objective…and (the state policy) is substantially related to achieving that objective.” The court ruled that the state policy did not violate Title IX because “(a)t the time Title IX was enacted, the ordinary public meaning of “sex” was understood to mean the biological, anatomical, and reproductive differences between male and female. It is up to Congress to change that meaning, not this Court.” Eli Bridge v. Oklahoma State Department of Education
-- In Tennessee, school safety legislation introduced would enable law enforcement agencies to assign police to schools. House Bill 1664, “would change the current law, enabling law enforcement agencies to assign resource officers to schools who had not previously requested one.”
-- In Ohio, the number of school districts registered to give non-police staff access to guns has nearly tripled since the spring of 2023. This finding, by the Ohio School Safety Center, comes after a new law that allows teachers to access guns in schools without undergoing Ohio police officer-level training. “The state has around 610 school districts, so roughly 10% of Ohio districts have opted in.”
-- In West Virginia, legislation has been enacted to allow veterans, retired police officers to provide armed security in schools. Senate Bill 143. “The bill allows county boards of education in West Virginia to contract with honorably discharged veterans or former state troopers, sheriff’s deputies, or federal law enforcement officers to provide public safety and security on public school grounds and buildings.” Importantly, “The (person) would not be a school resource officer or considered law enforcement, nor would they have arrest power.”
Options-Based Responses to Violent Threats Against Schools
Brad Spicer, Jan. 1, 2024 Focus on Extremism and Political Instability
Every day, millions of parents send their children to school with the belief that they will learn and be kept safe. Parents already face concerns about active assailant incidents at schools, but nothing would shatter their feelings of safety more rapidly than coordinated terror attacks on multiple soft targets such as schools or school buses.
Drawing on real-time, firsthand accounts and using official bodycam and audio, FRONTLINE, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reconstruct the chaotic response to the Uvalde school shooting and examine the missteps. The documentary delves into the lessons learned and the lingering trauma of that day.
Researcher finds data leak in safety app used by some Missouri school districts
Elly Laliberte, KOMU 8 Reporter
COLUMBIA − A cybersecurity researcher found a data leak in an app used to protect students and staff in schools across the United States, including Missouri.
“I didn’t target them, I found the database by accident. I looked at a few documents and once I saw that they were sensitive, that’s when I searched Raptor and saw what they do,” researcher Jeremiah Fowler said.
Raptor Technologies, a Texas-based company, uses its software to allow school administration, teachers and staff to make emergency alerts, among other features. The alert works with 911 to give information like campus maps to first responders.
Rifle stolen from high school resource officer's safe during campus break-in, Rowan County deputies say
The subjects spent at least 40 minutes drilling into the safe inside the office belonging to the SRO.
Matthew Ablon (WCNC), Updated: 11:30 p.m. EST Jan. 11, 2024
ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — Charges are pending for four juveniles after the Rowan County Sheriff's Office said the group broke into a school campus and stole a rifle from the school resource officer's safe.
Deputies said the juveniles broke into East Rowan High School on Jan. 2 around midnight, smashing a classroom window to get in. The juveniles reportedly roamed through the campus, spraying graffiti on exterior walls, breaking sinks and toilets, overturning desks and chairs, breaking into vending machines, and pouring gallons of paint onto walls and floors.
Parents Express Outrage Over Student Threat Response
Updated: Jan. 11, 2024 at 12:20 a.m. EST
ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - Roanoke City Public Schools have issued a statement in the wake of a school board meeting at which was discussed a threat made in 2023.
Parents who contacted WDBJ7 say a Grandin Court Elementary School student made a threat against teachers and students, and will be allowed to return to the school after temporarily being moved to another school.
A district spokesperson told WDBJ7 no decision has been made about the student returning to Grandin Court Elementary.
Save the Date: Webinar for Educators About the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: What Does It Mean for Educators? Tuesday, Jan. 30, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. ET
Schools and their community partners play a vital role in promoting mental health among students and the school community as a whole. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can strengthen and complement these efforts.
Join us for a webinar on Tuesday, Jan. 30, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. ET, to learn more about 988 and how K-12 educators and educational partners can use this important resource to support their school communities further. This event will be co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and its Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Registration opening soon!
This 40-hour course is designed for any law enforcement officer or school administrator working in an educational environment. The course emphasizes three main areas of instruction:
Functioning as a police officer in the school setting.
Working as a resource and problem solver.
Developing teaching skills.
Duration: 3 days (40 hours)
Cost:
$500 per person for NASRO members
$550 per person for non-NASRO members
All registrations made within 10 business days of the course start date will incur a $25 late registration fee.
