Moorhead places school resource officer program on hold over new restrictions
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- With just a couple of weeks before school starts, one Minnesota school district announced Thursday it is placing its school resource officer program on hold.
The City of Moorhead says it has reassigned its school resource officers back to patrol duty due to recent changes in Minnesota law that prohibit school officers from restraining and using force on students unless deemed "reasonable."
"Recent changes in Minnesota law have been interpreted by legal counsel to remove the standard law enforcement authority of officers contracted by school districts or assigned to work in schools," Police Captain Deric Swenson said in a press release.
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The Moorhead Police Department says that school safety is still a top priority despite the changes.
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association said in a letter to members Wednesday that the new law limits the "lawful authority of SROs to keep children safe at school."
MPPOA remains greatly concerned about a new MN law that limits lawful authority of School Resource Officers to keep children and staff safe at school. Here is the letter we sent to our law enforcement members today. Please read and share! pic.twitter.com/vxEE97Ys7I
— Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (@MNPoliceAssn) August 23, 2023
The letter also presents the option to forgo formal contracts and "simply allow law enforcement access to schools" to bypass the new requirements, as they don't apply to officers responding to public schools.