:ast week, the U.S. departments of Education and Justice released new letters, rubrics and resources last week related to the hiring and training of school resource officers. In particular, any law enforcement agencies that receive COPS funding for SROs will be required to adopt the new guidelines for SROs.

Among the resources provided are models for crafting MOUs between schools and local law-enforcement agencies, the role of district leaders in monitoring the actions of school-based police officers, and how to train police in such areas as child development and conflict de-escalation. In addition, they are urging districts to adopt a number of specific recommendations such as:

• incorporating local, state and federal civil rights laws into agreements with law enforcement,  
• ensuring that law enforcement officers have no role in administering formal school discipline,  
• requiring SROs to receive specialized training, including education in youth development,  
• setting policies on when/how SROs can use restraints, and  
• training teachers and staff to avoid calling SROs to assist with nonviolent disciplinary issues 

Today, AASA sent a letter to the House endorsing legislation to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins CTE Act. The bipartisan bill, Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, passed the House Education Committee overwhelmingly (37-0) in July. AASA is very pleased with how the bill addresses many of our key priorities within the reauthorization and hope to see a completed reauthorization before the year end. We also urge appropriators to consider funding levels for Perkins as they examine the reauthorization of this legislation since policy improvements cannot be fully realized without adequate funding levels.

You can read our letter to the House here.