Pubdate: Wed, 07 Feb 2007
Source: Times, The  (Munster IN)
Copyright: 2007 The Munster Times
Contact:  http://www.nwitimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/832
Author: Patrick Guinane
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

SCHOOL OFFICIALS WANT TO KNOW ABOUT STUDENT ARRESTS

State Politics: Bill Would Require Cops To Report Most Felony Arrests 
To Schools

INDIANAPOLIS -- A defect in state law keeps school  officials in the 
dark when a student is arrested on  charges as serious as murder, 
robbery and rape, Lake  County school administrators told lawmakers Tuesday.

School officials from Crown Point, Whiting and Lake  Central High 
School came to the Capitol in support of  House Bill 1382, which 
cleared the House Judiciary  Committee on an 8-0 vote. Sponsored by 
state Rep. Linda  Lawson, D-Hammond, the measure would require law 
enforcement to inform school officials when students  are booked on 
most felony charges.

"If a student is dealing drugs on the weekend, they're  arraigned on 
Monday, they're released on Tuesday,  they're back in school on 
Wednesday. Right now, we  don't know (why)," said Robert McDermott, 
assistant  principal at Lake Central. "We just know they were in 
court. We don't know why, and we can't ask them why."

Indiana is one of 10 states that lacks a school  notification law, 
said McDermott, who co-chairs the  Lake County Safe School Commission 
with Milan  Damjanovic, security and safety director for Crown  Point 
Community School Corp.

Lawson's legislation, which now goes before the full  House, would 
require police to notify school officials  within 48 hours of student 
arrests for drug  trafficking, gang crimes, aggravated battery and 
other  violent felonies. Judges would have seven days to  inform 
schools of a conviction on such charges.

"These are strictly serious felonies," said Bruce  Stewart, 
attendance and safety specialist for the  School City of Whiting. He 
and other supporters say the  information would be used to protect 
the student body  and staff and not to punish students that stand 
accused  of crimes.

Current law allows schools to seek information-sharing  agreements 
with individual judges and police units, but  McDermott said that 
piece-meal approach is ineffective.  The Safe Schools Commission has 
reached such an  agreement with just one Lake County juvenile court judge.

Nursing Home Smoke Detectors, Sprinklers

The Senate also voted 46-0 Tuesday to require that  nursing homes 
install fire sprinklers by 2012 and put a  smoke detector in every 
resident's room. Senate Bill  93, which is sponsored by state Sen. 
Sue Landske,  R-Cedar Lake, now moves to the House.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman