REGIONAL- A proposed amendment aims to resolve uncertainties surrounding a 2023 Minnesota law, criticized for its vague language that some argue jeopardizes student safety. The law currently prohibits school district employees, including school resource officers, from using physical restraints that could impede a student’s breathing or ability to signal distress, or apply pressure to sensitive areas of the body.
Seeking to address concerns over the legality of specific restraints like chokeholds and prone positions, the ambiguity has prompted over 40 law enforcement agencies across the state to withdraw their officers from schools, including the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office. That decision by Sheriff Gordon Ramsay, led to the withdrawal of school resource officers from the St. Louis County Schools, among others.
Attorney General Keith Ellison clarified in late September that the original legislation did not alter the circumstances under which officers are permitted to use force, but Ellison’s opinion has had only minor effect in allaying the concerns of agencies, most of whom continue to keep officers out of the schools.
The amendment, HF3489, sponsored by Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL–New Hope, was passed 7-5 by the House Education Policy Committee on Monday, the first day of the new legislative session. The bill, which now advances to the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee for a hearing, aims to standardize use-of-force policies for school resource officers and remove ambiguous language concerning restraints used by contracted security personnel and school officers.
Frazier emphasized the bill’s intention is to foster dialogue among stakeholders, aiming for statewide consistency and transparency in school safety protocols. By eliminating current misunderstandings, the bill seeks to ensure all parties work together to safeguard students.
Frazier’s bill would mandate the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board to collaborate with various community and governmental entities to establish uniform training standards for school resource officers. It allocates $150,000 for 2024 and $490,000 annually from 2025 to 2027 for these efforts. The board would be charged with:
Outlining contract guidelines for school resource officers, defining appropriate force usage on school premises, and recommending practices to reduce the necessity and duration of physical restraints, as well as alternative procedures that can be used to de-escalate conflicts in schools and students and others in crisis.
Ensuring school resource officers are being utilized appropriately and not for school disciplinary purposes.
Building constructive police relationships with students, administrators, and educational staff; proper procedures for protecting student data.
Determine when a refresher training course is required.
“This SRO bill that’s in front of the committee today represents a comprehensive proposal. It creates clear duties for SROs in schools,” said Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson. “It provides training requirements that are focused on school settings and working with students. The one that I believe is most important is focusing on building constructive relationships between SROs, students and educators. This bill makes it clear that SROs are not allowed to be in school discipline.”
Khulia Pringle, Minnesota manager of organizing and outreach of the National Parents Union, questioned why Minnesota restricts chokeholds and face-down restraint for adults but would let an SRO use these techniques on school children.
“The legislation passed last session was a no-brainer, and now we are playing politics with the lives of children,” she said. “We believe the language is clear in the current bill. We also support parts of the bill that does offer SRO specialized training and some accountability for SROs in schools.”
“I think that all of us in the room, we have a common goal of working with kids and making sure kids are safe,” said Rep. Ben Bakeberg, R-Jordan, who voted against the bill. “And we just have to start out from that foundation that we want kids to be safe no matter where they’re at.”