School Law Partnerships: Safety in Cooperation - S2010-5

Prior to the 1950s, courts operated on the assumption that educators acted in loco parentis, meaning they had a parents complete authority and a responsibility to act on behalf of the student. Although law enforcement officers were held in high respect, educators were exempt from telling law enforcement authorities about student crime. Criminal activity in schools, which was expected to be minor in nature, was handled in-house. The presumption was that if an educator summoned the police, either the educator failed his or her obligation to provide proper discipline, or an emergency had occurred, requiring training the educator did not have. Based on this presumption, a law enforcement officer summoned to a school on official business was logically presumed to be in charge. Or was the educator presumed to be in charge? This situation led to the question, - Who is really in charge here? In this session, participants will learn the history, case law, and foundation of school-police partnerships, develop a clear understanding of school-police partnerships, recognize how this partnership provides a safe environment conducive to student learning, and find out who is really in charge, the police officer or the educator.