A new Missouri law concerning how students are punished after fights or bullying has many school administrators and school resource officers concerned.
However, SoBoCo Superintendent Chris Felmlee said Tuesday that the local district has had the appropriate training and is ready to implement new procedures, if necessary.
The law, passed in last spring’s legislative session, increases the penalties for third-degree assault and harassment and creates a fourth-degree misdemeanor assault charge. The new law does not specifically mention schools, and K-12 school district administrators across the state have said they are working to understand how they will interpret the law.
“We have worked with Trevor (Fowler, the Southern Boone Resource Officer) and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department,” said Felmlee, “and we have developed methods for investigating situations.”
The new law does not change muich related to school fights, but it does include an overly broad definition of harassment, which could make some bullying cases reportable offenses, said Susan Goldhammer, an attorney for the Missouri School Boards Association.
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