4411 - District Relationships with Law Enforcement and other Government Agencies Policy

4411 District Relationships with Law Enforcement and other Government Agencies

COMMUNITY RELATIONS

District Relationships with Law Enforcement and other Government Agencies

Cooperation between the district and law enforcement agencies is important to maintaining health and safety in district schools and facilities. District staff are charged with protecting the rights of students to attend school free of substantial interference, and are also expected to cooperate with law enforcement officers carrying out their lawful duties. For these reasons, the district expects school staff to cooperate with law enforcement agencies as required by law, consistent with their legal and professional responsibilities. 

The primary responsibility for maintaining proper order and conduct in the schools is that of staff.  Staff shall be responsible for holding students accountable for infractions of school rules, which may include minor violations of the law occurring during school hours or at school activities.  

Where there is substantial threat to the health and safety of students or others, such as in the case of bomb threats, mass demonstrations with threat of violence, individual threats of substantial bodily harm, trafficking in prohibited drugs or controlled substances, or the scheduling of events where large crowds may be difficult to handle, law enforcement agencies will be called upon for assistance.  Information regarding major violations of the law shall be communicated to the appropriate law enforcement agency, consistent with district policies and procedures regarding confidentiality of student information.

The district will strive to develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with the law enforcement agencies.  The superintendent or designee will meet with law enforcement, child protective authorities, and health department officials to establish agreed-upon procedures.  Such procedures should address the handling of child abuse and neglect reports and cases, the handling of bomb threats and incidents of violence, arrests by law enforcement officers on school premises, the availability of law enforcement personnel for crowd control purposes, the process for investigating possible criminal activity by students, reporting of communicable disease cases and investigations, and other matters that affect school, law enforcement, and other agency cooperation.  Such procedures shall be made available to affected staff and periodically revised.

Cross Reference:    Board Policy     3600        Student Records
                    3610        Child Custody
                    3440        Removal of Students
                    4100        Confidential Communications
                    4311        Visitors
                    4314        Disruption of School Operations

Legal References:    RCW    28A.635.020        Willfully disobeying school administrative
                                personnel or refusing to leave
                                public property, violations, when –
                                Penalty

            RCW    26.44.050        Abuse or neglect of child—Duty of law
                                 enforcement agency or department of
                             social and health services--Taking 
                            child into custody without court
                             order
            RCW    26.44.110        Information about rights—Custody without 
                                court order--Written statement 
                                required--Contents
            RCW    26.44.115        Child taken into custody without court 
                                order--Information to parents
            RCW    26.44.030        Interviews of children
            RCW    42.56.230(1)        Public records act—Personal information
            RCW    28A.150.510        Transmittal of education records to
                                 department of social and health
services
            RCW    28A.600.645        Exchange of information with law 
                                enforcement and juvenile court
                                 officials—Notification of parents
                                 and students
            RCW    28A.642.010        Discrimination prohibited—Definitions

            20 U.S.C. 1232g        Family Education Rights and Privacy Act

Adoption Date:  April 11, 2017