Minnesota GOP wants special session over new law that has some districts pulling SROs
ANOKA, Minn. – Some Minnesota lawmakers are calling for a change as more law enforcement departments pull school resources officers out of schools, and the Republican Party of Minnesota leader is calling for a special session as more districts drop their SROs.
It's been a tricky situation from the beginning. Districts -- including Minnesota's largest district -- learned SROs would be pulling out of their schools less than a week before classes start. It's all because of an interpretation of a small snippet, part of a 200-plus-page education bill passed into law this past session.
The portion of the law itself limits district employees -- including SROs -- from placing students into certain holds. Those include putting a student face down on the ground, or putting weight on their head, throat, neck or chest, thereby making it so they can't breathe.
"How can we expect our staff to go to the school and work there every day when they're constantly worried about being sued ... instead of just focusing on their job and developing relationships?" Blaine Police Chief Brian Podany said.
The law also limits the use of reasonable force unless students are posing a risk of bodily harm to themselves or someone else.
Police leaders from throughout the state joined with some Republican leaders in asking for clarity in the law.
"This is about letting our school resource officers use the de-escalation tools that they are trained in, because we know that we all in Minnesota want schools that are safe and successful for all of our students," Rep. Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) said.
On Wednesday, Minnesota's Republican Party chair David Hann called for a special legislative session to address school safety concerns:
"School resource officers play a critical role in ensuring school safety. But sadly, our schools are less safe today due to the Minnesota DFL's extreme, single-party control, and their zealous anti-police agenda has put students, teachers, and staff in danger.
"Governor Tim Walz and legislative Democrats should listen to the serious concerns raised today by law enforcement and legislative Republicans, who are calling for an immediate and brief special session to address this critical issue
"I encourage all Minnesotans who support a special session to address this critical gap in school safety to contact their elected officials."
The four chairs of the Minnesota Senate and House education committees -- Sens. Mary Kunesh and Steve Cwodzinski and Reps. Cheryl Youakim and Laurie Pryor -- issued a statement Wednesday:
"The DFL-led Legislature and Governor Walz made historic investments in education this year, including free school meals for all children and more staff to help our kids navigate mental health challenges. We are united in our commitment to ensuring a safe, supportive, and healthy learning environment for students and everyone who works in our Minnesota schools. We value the role that School Resource Officers play in keeping schools safe, and Governor Walz's administration is working diligently to ensure that districts and law enforcement have the guidance they need to do their jobs effectively."
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association released this statement Wednesday in favor of a special session.
The easiest way to promote safety and security in our schools is to correct the SRO language which could create an unsafe environment. Multiple stakeholders including the Minnesota Attorney General have agreed that great ambiguity exists with the new law and the legislature should address it.
To be clear: This is about the safety [of] our students, staff, and law enforcement officers working in our schools. Keeping our schools safe should never be a partisan issue. With school starting next week, we must act with urgency and not wait until February.
We respectfully ask Governor Walz to call a special session on this singular issue. The MPPOA remains committed to working with the Governor and the Minnesota Legislature to address these concerns.
The Anoka-Hennepin School District, which is the state's largest, has said they're planning on pulling their SROs, as has Moorhead School District, among others.
The Champlin Police Department, also on Wednesday, said it will not enter a contract with the Anoka-Hennepin district to provide SROs for Jackson Middle School or Champlin Brooklyn Park Academy during the 2023-2024 school year.
"As the Champlin Police Chief, I cannot in good faith put our School Resource Officers in a position that does not provide them the ability to utilize their independent judgement (sic) and professional training in responding to potentially dangerous incidents on school district property," Chief Glen Schneider said in a statement. "I also cannot subject our SRO to potential criminal prosecution or civil liability that could potentially occur as a result of them performing their job while addressing potentially difficult safety situations with the students in our schools."
Schneider urged Minnesotans to contact their state legislators to emphasize the "urgency associated with resolving the ambiguity and confusion they have created with the passage of these two new State laws."
