School officer issue is settled, for now

Cloquet will keep its school resource officer after Attorney General Keith Ellison released a revised opinion on the legislation last spring regarding the use of force in schools.

That was better news than anticipated, superintendent Michael Cary told school board members Monday. Cary had expected to tell the board the district would be exploring other ways to work with local law enforcement. But over the weekend, he received an email from Cloquet Police Chief Derek Randall that the CPD was more comfortable after the attorney general clarified the ruling.

“So, we are going to continue down the path we’ve been on and keep our SRO in our buildings, at least for now,” Cary said.

The issue? Critics said that the law would stop officers from intervening if a student was creating a dangerous situation.

Specifically, school and law enforcement officials worried that the legislation prohibited school employees and agents (including SROs) in all scenarios from using prone (lying down) restraints or any holding that “restricts or impairs a pupil’s ability to breathe … communicate distress; places pressure or weight on a pupil’s head, throat, neck, chest, lungs, sternum, diaphragm, back or abdomen; or results in straddling a pupil’s torso.”

No, said Ellison. The legislation does not limit the use of reasonable force when faced with the possibility of a student being physically harmed or killed.

“Accordingly, the Legislature did not change the types of reasonable force that school staff and agents are authorized to use in responding to a situation involving a threat of bodily harm or death,” Ellison wrote. “Of course, what force is ‘reasonable’ is not defined in law and is determined on a case-by-case basis.”

According to a story by MPR News, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association said in a letter to members that the opinion from Ellison is a temporary step in the right direction, but not a permanent solution. Law enforcement is asking the legislature to revisit the issue in next year’s session and codify the rules.

Athletic complex delays

After a very dry summer helped speed the renovations at the Cloquet High School track, tennis courts and football/soccer fields, a rainy spell and contractor availability have delayed the completion of the Members Cooperative Credit Union Stadium. Large “pulses of rain” — which washed out some sod — revealed some design flaws, which are being corrected.

Superintendent Cary said they had been secretly hoping to play a home football game on Oct. 6 but the track won’t be ready in time.

New district facilities manager Brock Wilton said the crew that will complete the track surface and some slight fixes to the new tennis courts are supposed to arrive Oct. 5-6. Work on the scoreboard was supposed to start Oct. 2-4, weather permitting.

Soccer playoffs begin Oct. 10; football playoffs start Oct. 24. The last home football game is Oct. 18. Cary called it a realistic goal.

“We’re optimistic, but it certainly isn’t set in stone,” he said.

“It’ll happen,” said board member Hawk Huard.

Other matters

• Board members voted unanimously to set the tax levy at the maximum — which will be set by the Minnesota Department of Education — setting the date for the Truth in Taxation hearing for Dec. 11. The state can still make adjustments through Oct. 2, but district finance director Candace Nelis said the increase will likely be just under 5 percent. That could change, which is why she asked the board to simply set it at the maximum allowable by the state.

• Board members approved a solar development agreement with Wolf Track Energy to construct a solar panel project near the middle school. Work on the nearly $130,000 project is expected to take place next spring. Ninety percent of the costs will be covered by a state grant.

• Total student enrollment dropped from 2,543 on Sept. 7 to 2,526 on Sept. 20, according to the enrollment report.