24 August 2023
MOORHEAD After a change to Minnesota law, the Moorhead Police Department is pulling its school resource officers out of Moorhead Area Public Schools, the city said in a Thursday, Aug. 24, release.
“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,” Capt. Deric Swenson said in the release.
A section of Minnesota’s education bill signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz in May limits the holds school resource officers can use on students. Under the law, school resource officers cannot use a prone, or face-down, restraint.
School resource officers and other school staff also cannot “inflict any form of physical holding that restricts or impairs a pupil’s ability to breathe; restricts or impairs a pupil’s ability to communicate distress; places pressure or weight on a pupil’s head, throat, neck, chest, lungs, sternum, diaphragm, back, or abdomen; or results in straddling a pupil’s torso,” the law states.
Swenson told The Forum the restraint limitations section of the law is what prompted the program suspension, as Minnesota law enforcement is not sure if a school resource officer can have any physical contact with a student.
State and local discussions are ongoing about the intent of the law change, the release said, noting the League of Minnesota Cities, Department of Education, Minnesota Police Chiefs Association, Minnesota Sheriffs Association and Attorney General’s Office are working to resolve the issue.
In the meantime, Moorhead school resource officers are reassigned to patrol duty, the release said.
The announcement comes on the first day of school for students in Moorhead Area Public Schools.
The school resource officer program has been in place for more than 30 years in Moorhead, the release said, and school safety remains a top priority. Police are still able to respond to calls at public schools.
Check back for updates as this story develops.]]>