Edmonds School District No. 15
Lynnwood, WA 98036-5789
9610-R1 - GUIDELINES FOR RELATIONS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
Adopted
3/6/67
Revised
2/3/69
8/21/78
7/19/88
9/8/93
10/16/00
Upon arrival at school, the law enforcement representative seeking information or access to students will be required to identify himself or herself and state the purpose of his/her business on campus. Law enforcement representatives contacting schools may include but are not limited to the following; city and county agencies - city police officials, sheriff department officers, juvenile court representatives, and fire marshals whose jurisdictions are wholly or partly within the boundaries of the school district; state agencies - investigators attached to various state departments, e.g., attorney general, fire marshall, and labor and industries; federal agencies - F.B.I. special agents, Secret Service agents, Internal Revenue Service officers, postal authorities, and Bureau of Indian Affairs personnel.
Interviewing Students on School Premises (See Policy 9620-R1 for CPS guidelines)
Law enforcement representatives may interview students as witnesses, victims or suspects, to obtain information about alleged crimes or criminal activity. Law enforcement representatives will be asked to interview students on campus during school hours only as necessary and in ways which do not unnecessarily interfere with classes and activities. When a building administrator is requested by a law enforcement representative to make a student available for an on-campus interview, the building administrator should attempt to notify the student's parent or guardian of such interview prior to the interview(s). There may be circumstances where prior notification of the parent or guardian is not appropriate. Where advance notification is not appropriate, the building administrator should notify the parent or guardian as soon as is reasonably possible after the interview.
The building administrator or designee will provide a setting for the interview that protects the student's privacy. The student will be called to the interview in a manner that minimizes disruption of the school's educational program and the student's education.
The building administrator or designee may (at the administrator's discretion), be present during the student interview. The building administrator, or designee, will act as an observer and not as a representative of either the parent or the student during the interview. The building administrator, or designee, will not attempt to waive the constitutional rights or other legal rights of the student or advise the student about the student's constitutional rights. The building administrator or designee will complete the appropriate district form as a record of the interview.
Arresting Students on School Premises
A law enforcement representative seeking to arrest a student on school premises will be requested to notify the building administrator in advance, if at all possible, of the fact that an arrest will be made on school premises.
The building administrator will make appropriate arrangements to assist in locating a student for arrest after the law enforcement representative has presented identification. Law enforcement representatives shall be requested to carry out the arrest as unobtrusively as possible. After the law enforcement representative has taken physical custody of the student, he/she will be asked to sign the appropriate district form. The building administrator will attempt to notify the parent or guardian that the student has been taken into custody. The building administrator, or designee, shall in all cases notify his/her supervisor of the arrest by telephone and by completing the appropriate district form.
Taking A Student From School to Protective Custody
A law enforcement representative may legally take a student, or cause a student to be taken, into protective custody without a court order if there is probable cause to believe that the student is abused or neglected and that the student may be injured.
The building administrator or designee will secure identification and justification from the law enforcement representative for removal of the student from school. Before leaving the school with the student, the law enforcement representative will be asked to sign the appropriate district form.
The law enforcement representative taking the student into custody will attempt to notify the student's parent or guardian that the student is in protective custody. If the building administrator is informed that notice will not be provided to the parent or guardian, the building administrator will attempt to notify, where appropriate, the parent or guardian.
Interviewing School Staff
Law enforcement representatives desiring to interview school staff at school will contact the building administrator who will make appropriate arrangements for the interview. Building administrators may, at their discretion, be present for such interviews.
It is expected that school staff members will cooperate with law enforcement representatives in a manner consistent with a citizen's duty not to obstruct criminal investigations. If the building administrator learns that a staff member is suspected of criminal involvement, the building administrator shall inform his/her supervisor. School staff members suspected of criminal involvement will be responsible for seeking their own legal representation, if such representation is desired.
Release of Student Information to Law Enforcement Representatives
Requests by law enforcement representatives for student information will be made to the building administrator or designee. With a court order or lawfully issued subpoena, the law enforcement representative, including probation officers, shall be allowed access to student information specified in the court order.
Directory information, including parent names and phone numbers, of enrolled students or individuals no longer enrolled in the district will be made available to law enforcement representatives. Additional student information may be made available to law enforcement representatives if the information is necessary to protect the student or other individuals from an emergency threat to their health or safety. If an emergency threat does not exist, the request may be directed to the appropriate superintendent's staff member for a determination regarding release of the information.