(MOORHEAD) — The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is suspending its School Resource Officer program, following a recent change in Minnesota state law.
The Sheriff’s Office recently met with officials from both the Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton and Ulen-Hitterdal school districts to discuss the program, and it was “mutually agreed that, at this time, it would be best to suspend the SRO program until we receive clarity from our legislators and state agencies,” a statement on the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page said Monday. Minnesota State Statute 121A.582 regulates the use of force towards students by school employees and agents of the school. Before the recent law change, the law permitted reasonable use of force to “restrain a student or to prevent bodily harm or death of another.”
Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting says the department will have patrol deputies stopping at the schools throughout the day, ensuring the safety of students and staff.
