The Solutions Not Suspension Coalition, a group comprising students, parents, community leaders, and others, is voicing support for a recently passed Minnesota Legislature law that places limitations on the use of restraints by school resource officers (SROs). This law prioritizes de-escalation techniques and imposes restrictions on certain restraints and holds employed by SROs.
Under the new law, SROs are prohibited from using a “face-down position” on students and are banned from using specific holds on the head, neck, and most of the torso.
While some law enforcement agencies have chosen to withdraw SROs from schools, citing a lack of clarity in the new law, others have opted to remain in schools while seeking clarity, emphasizing student safety as their primary concern.
State Republicans have called for a special session to address the law, a request that Governor Tim Walz has not yet granted but has not ruled out.
The coalition argues that the focus should be on whether police officers and adults can physically interact with children, especially in potentially dangerous ways, when there is no threat to the child’s safety or that of others. They stress the importance of alternative de-escalation methods that do not involve restraints, asserting that adults should not be criminalizing or physically engaging with children without a safety threat.
The coalition also highlights that the law already includes an exception for reasonable force in dangerous situations and suggests that calls for a special session are merely attempts to repeal measures aimed at ensuring student safety. They advocate for the allocation of resources, including police officers, but emphasize that police should not be called upon to address behaviors that are better addressed by those who know the children best. If students do not pose a risk to themselves or others, the coalition argues that there is no justification for using restraints.