Opinion editor’s note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.
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New rules could and should be in place soon for school resource officers (SROs) in Minnesota under bills approved by the state House and Senate. The measure rightly modifies a statute passed last year that prohibited officers from using certain types of restraints on students.
Lawmakers should be commended for hosting thorough discussions of the change, taking input from multiple stakeholders and moving to handle the issue early in the legislative session.
Sen. Bonnie Westlin, DFL-Plymouth, who authored the Senate bill that passed Monday, told the Star Tribune earlier that the legislation’s development “included the voices of many Minnesotans.” Legislators faced criticism last year for not inviting law enforcement leaders to weigh in.
“Our work to clarify the roles of SROs has been centered on the belief that our schools are institutions of learning, and that every adult working in our schools should be there to provide a safe and supportive learning environment,” Westlin said last week. “I think we’ve achieved that with the help of many stakeholders and voices … .”
The bill would allow SROs to use prone restraints on students under certain conditions, making them the only school staff permitted to use them. Officers in schools would be required to participate in a special training program provided by the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (POST).
SROs would receive coaching on how to limit the use of physical holds on students, particularly prone restraint. POST also would draft a model policy for school districts. SROs also would not be involved in enforcing campus rules or handing out discipline to students who break them.