No spike in school crime after COVID, California student privacy law unconstitutional – The 74

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This is our bi-weekly briefing with the latest school safety news, moderated by Mark Keierleber. Please register below.

As the pandemic ended and students returned to school, national sentiment around school safety and security grew grimmer.

After more than a year of learning at home, far from their friends, enemies and rivals, teachers reported that children brought new behavioral problems with them to school.

But new federal data — including campus assaults, bullying and theft — complicates that story. Even as students’ mental health needs have increased, the numbers suggest that school crime has continued a downward trend that’s lasted more than a decade.

These 10 charts show how schools have become less violent since COVID.

In the news

On the couch: A Detroit district judge has been temporarily barred from hearing cases after he ordered a teenager who visited his courtroom to be handcuffed after he caught her sleeping. It turned out the girl had trouble staying awake during the excursion because she had no permanent residence. | The New York Times

A California student privacy law passed in 2022 that prohibits social media companies from using children’s personal information likely violates the First Amendment, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled. | The Sacramento Bee

Not liable: A Texas jury ruled that the parents of the gunman who carried out the 2018 Santa Fe school shooting that killed 10 people and injured 13 others were not legally liable for the chaos. The victims’ families alleged the parents were negligent in failing to prevent the attack. The gunman was found mentally unfit to stand trial and remains hospitalized. | Houston Public Media

A San Diego school district’s failure to protect children from sexual harassment and abuse led to “serial perpetration,” a federal civil rights investigation found. | Axios

‘Juvenile delinquency, Adulthood’: Florida children who are charged with serious crimes as adults receive longer sentences on average than older adult offenders, a Miami Herald investigation found. | Miami Herald

AI-powered gun detection company ZeroEyes has announced a partnership with the New York Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, giving school districts across the state access to “pre-negotiated, discounted pricing.” | PR Newswire

Calendar invitation: The National Center for Youth Law is hosting a webinar on youth voting rights on August 27, where experts will “share their insights on empowering 16- and 17-year-olds to participate in our democracy.” | National Center for Youth Law

In Las Vegas, a gun detection system caused significant delays at a high school football game, frustrating dozens of students and parents who were left waiting outside the field well after kickoff. | News 3

Gaggle, a surveillance tool that monitors students’ online communications, has been rolled out in Ohio’s largest school district. | Ohio Capital Journal

A new Tennessee law allows teachers to bring guns to class, but so far no one has taken up the challenge. | Chalkbeat

Google Classroom undermines children’s privacy and data protection, and may violate other children’s rights, according to new research. | ScienceDirect

The Department of Homeland Security has released a new guide designed to help educators recognize the warning signs of online child sexual exploitation and abuse. | DHS

Between 2020 and 2022, the number of young people locked up in juvenile detention centers fell by as much as 75%. | The Sentencing Project

Hooray for heroes: A Colorado school bus driver is being credited with saving the lives of more than a dozen children after the bus burst into flames on the ride home. | NY Daily News