A new state law has some law enforcement departments pulling their school resource officer (SRO) from schools and some SROs are even resigning.
However, the Faribault County Sheriff’s Department doesn’t plan to make any changes at Blue Earth Area School District.
Chief deputy Scott Adams says how SROs are allowed to control students was discussed with Barry Meyers, the school district’s SRO.
“We are following the new requirements,” says Adams. “We are leaving our SRO in place.”
The new law prohibits SROs from “using prone restraints and comprehensive restraint on the head, neck and across most of the torso.”
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) calls the law ambiguous and unclear and it does not allow SROs to intercede if a student is damaging school property or being disorderly.
“As a result, using a prone restraint circumstances in any situation, including the threat of death or bodily harm is no longer an option,” says an MPPOA letter to its members.
Law enforcement also fear that SROs could face civil and criminal penalties if they violate the new law.
Adams says one of the goals of the SRO position is to build positive relationships with the district’s students.
“We have more concern about having a law enforcement presence in the school and protecting the children, than the new changes,” he says.