COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) - The Department of Justice has issued a statement of interest in a federal lawsuit over children being handcuffed by a school resource officer in northern Kentucky.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the parents of two students sued Kenton County Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Sumner and the sheriff's department in August over the handcuffing.
Covington Independent Public Schools Superintendent Alvin Garrison has said Sumner complied with the district's policies, "which are designed to ensure that students do not injure themselves or others."
The Kentucky Enquirer reports the Justice Department statement says the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to resource officers and that school policies should dissuade the "school-to-prison pipeline" created by criminalizing misbehavior. The Justice Department said the statement isn't meant to take sides on the merits of the case, but to help assess claims made by the families.
Published: Tue, Oct 06, 2015
