School Resource Officer

The Hennepin County attorney's interpretation of the student restraint law "puts us back to where we were roughly two weeks ago, Minn. Chiefs of Police Association Executive Director Jeff Potts said

Minnesota law enforcement associations are asking for a special legislative session on the SRO law that changed the “reasonable force standard” in schools

"Every child and every parent should feel an absolute peace of mind as they travel to and from school,” Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said

Police groups say the legislation prohibits school resource officers from taking action in situations in which students damage property or present a physical danger

One superintendent said they will not rush planning or "take unnecessary risks because these folks are responsible for protecting our children and our campuses"

Board members who voted to reinstate the officers cited the rise in teen gun violence and the increasing number of weapons found on DPS campuses

Districts will have the same SROs consistently, rather than off-duty officers from other departments, allowing for a better relationship with students

The language of the new law states SROs are prohibited from using certain types of restraints when trying to control unruly students

Bryan Holley, a 31-year law enforcement veteran, devoted 10 years of service to the Hudson Independent School District Police Department

Ivy Jurgensen credits the SRO with helping save her life, inspiring her to later become an SRO

Right now, the Broward school district contracts with 13 different municipalities, which provide school resource officers from city PDs or the sheriff's office

The statewide program awarded $25 million in funds to go toward the SRO hires, which the state said will help protect over 334,000 students

A recent allocation of $5.25 million in state funding became accessible in response to The Covenant School shooting, but MNPD officials say they don't have the capacity to staff its 70 public schools

"In reality, in the 2020s, if we are not looking at the digital footprint of a student of concern, we are really not doing a comprehensive threat assessment."

School resource officer Nicholas Calello helps one of his students fix his tie before graduation