All articles tagged with #school safety
Omaha Public Schools asked school resource officers to stop using electric-shock gloves on students, a policy change Bellevue police will not follow as they continue carrying the devices; other area districts have not yet decided. The gloves cost about $66,000 for 40 units and have been used sparingly in recent years, sparking criticism from students and parents who say the tool is unsafe in schools.
At a crowded Omaha school-board meeting, residents urged officials to end police use of electric shock gloves; the district signaled it would opt out, while officers say they will continue using other tools. The gloves were involved in two incidents in 2025–26 and cost about $66,000 for 40 units. Critics cite safety and disability concerns, while supporters argue they’re a safer, less-lethal option. Bellevue police reportedly still use the gloves; Omaha Public Schools is Nebraska’s largest district with long-standing ties to law enforcement.
Bellevue Police will keep SROs at Bryan Middle and Bryan High carrying G.L.O.V.E. shock gloves after declining OPS’s request to ban them; OPS had asked districts to remove the gloves, citing safety concerns, while Bellevue argues the tool is safe and de-escalating. OPD had already agreed to stop carrying GLOVEs in OPS schools, and other area districts are evaluating the tool.
Omaha Public Schools has asked Mayor John Ewing and the Omaha Police Department to bar school resource officers from carrying shock gloves on school property, calling the devices counterproductive to safety and relationships with students. The OPD will honor the request and discontinue use in schools but will maintain other equipment. Mayor Ewing supported opting out, noting it was the least impactful option among tools. The move followed protests by parents and students at a board meeting and comes as some metro districts had been using shock gloves, though others say they have not deployed them yet.
An Arkansas high school football player practiced for about an hour with a two-foot venomous cottonmouth snake tucked inside the helmet; coaches discovered the snake during a helmet inspection, secured the helmet, and animal services relocated the reptile, underscoring safety concerns about snakes finding dark, protected spaces in schools.
Several U.S. schools are piloting pepper-spraying drones from Campus Guardian Angel to supplement active shooter response, featuring remote operation, two-way audio, the ability to breach entry points, sirens, pepper-launchers, and even kinetic options; pilots are planned in Georgia, Florida, and Colorado, but critics say prevention should be the focus rather than reactive tactics.
Nine schools in Florida, Georgia and Colorado will pilot Mithril Defense’s plastic, nonlethal drones that can navigate halls, smash windows and pepper-spray active shooters within 15 seconds when activated by teachers, a move aimed at rapid threat response but prompting safety and effectiveness concerns.
In Newport News, Virginia, assistant principal Ebony Parker is accused of ignoring repeated warnings that a 6-year-old had a gun before the 2023 shooting of first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner. Parker faces eight counts of felony child neglect, with prosecutors saying she failed to take basic steps (searching the child, contacting police, separating students) while the school policy required action. The case highlights the rarity of criminal charges against school officials in shooting incidents and follows a civil verdict that awarded Zwerner $10 million.
A Long Beach high school surfer, William Frey, is suing the Long Beach Unified School District, alleging he was beaten by Wilson High surf teammates in April 2025, threatened with death, and harassed on campus; the suit says administrators failed to protect him and did not adequately enforce safety measures after a restraining order, with video of the attack and ongoing threats cited. Frey has relocated, and the suit seeks damages to be determined at trial.
The Minnesota Senate passed a comprehensive gun-control bill that would ban semiautomatic weapons and provide funding for school safety and mental health counseling, moving along party lines with all DFL senators voting in favor and Republicans opposed. The measure would grandfather current owners but require registration; Gov. Walz urged the House to act, though the House previously rejected a weaker version and time is running out with only two weeks left in the session.
Two teens aged 16 and 17 were killed and five others were injured after a planned fight near a Winston-Salem middle school escalated into a shooting; police say there is no suspect in custody as investigators look into the incident, which highlights concerns about teen safety near schools.
Gov. Tim Walz unveiled a gun-violence prevention package in Minnesota, including a ban on military-style assault rifles and high-capacity magazines, mandatory safe storage and reporting of missing or stolen firearms, a firearm and ammunition tax, insurance requirements, expanded resources for schools, and closing the ghost-gun loophole. The plan, announced six months after the Annunciation shooting, emphasizes safety while Walz asserts it won’t infringe on Second Amendment rights; survivor Lydia Kaiser shared her perspective at the press conference.
The Education Department announced two interagency agreements with the State Department and HHS to streamline federal education activities, enhance reporting under Section 117 on foreign gifts, and bolster school safety and family engagement as part of returning education governance to the states, building on prior partnerships.
The Trump administration announced a plan to dismantle parts of the Education Department by moving school-safety and student-mental-health programs to Health and Human Services and transferring oversight of foreign gifts and contracts to higher education to the State Department, a move that drew bipartisan skepticism in Congress while officials said funding should remain stable and not disrupt ongoing programs.
A 16-year-old student was shot inside Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, and police arrested another 16-year-old student near the campus; the suspect will be charged as an adult.