Months of negotiations between legislators, school officials and the law enforcement community have led to agreement in the House on an updated school resource officer policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The House passed HF3489<\/a>, sponsored by Rep. Cedrick Frazier<\/a> (DFL\u2013New Hope), 124-8 Monday. It now heads to the Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bill would clarify language around the use of certain choke holds and face-down prone restraints resource officers can place on students and update use-of-force standards for those officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, it would remove language specific to contracted security and school resource officers placing restraining holds on students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe bill before us today clarifies the law regarding the use of force in schools, retaining crucial limitations on practices such as choke holds, and establishing clear standards for the training and deployment of school resource officers,\u201d Frazier said. \u201cThe goal is to build relationships, not to damage relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of perceived ambiguity in legislation passed last year, more than 40 police departments pulled officers from participating school districts last fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m hoping that we can get [school resource officers] back in the school with this fix today, and I think this will, obviously, keep our schools, our students and our teachers safe. But it will also give our parents some piece of mind,\u201d Rep. Jeff Witte<\/a> (R-Lakeville), a former school resource officer, said during a Monday press conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Except in cases of preventing bodily harm or death, the bill specifies a district employee, including a school resource officer, \u201cshall not inflict any form of physical holding that restricts or impairs a pupil’s ability to breathe; restricts or impairs a pupil’s ability to communicate distress; places pressure or weight on a pupil’s head, throat, neck, chest, lungs, sternum, diaphragm, back, or abdomen; or results in straddling a pupil’s torso.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Working with impacted Minnesotans including law enforcement agencies, local government, schools, community members and youth organizations, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board would develop uniform training standards and a model policy for school resource officers throughout the state. Its deadline is Dec. 31, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Per the bill, the board must consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n