P2361 Law Enforcement Contact with Students

School officials will cooperate with law enforcement officers who come to the school for the purposes of questioning or taking into custody students who are enrolled in Wichita Public Schools. This cooperative relationship will be governed by policies developed by the Board of Education and local law enforcement that are designed to protect the legal rights of students. 

Administrative Implemental Procedures

1. A law enforcement officer shall, unless immediate action upon arrival is deemed necessary, first contact the building principal or designee prior to contacting a student regardless of whether the student is in the school building or any other part of the school campus. In any event, the building principal or designee shall be contacted as soon as possible. 
2. When notified that a law enforcement officer is present, the principal or designee shall determine the exact purpose of the officer’s presence. The principal’s, or designee’s, responsibility to notify the student’s lawful custodian will be determined by the reason(s) for the law enforcement contact.

   Reason for Student Contact	Principal or Designee Response
   Witness	Make every reasonable effort to contact Lawful Custodian  (All students under 14 years of age or if requested by any age student).
   Suspect	Make every reasonable effort to contact Lawful Custodian.
   Victim	Make every reasonable effort to contact Lawful Custodian.
   Victim of  Physical, Sexual, or other forms of Abuse/Neglect	Do Not Contact Lawful Custodian.  Inquire from the Law Enforcement Officer about contacting the lawful custodian.
   Taken into Custody (Removed from School)	Make every reasonable effort to contact Lawful Custodian (unless the student is a victim of physical, sexual, or other forms of abuse/neglect.)

3. The principal or designee will provide a location at the school for the law enforcement officer to meet with the student that ensures the student’s privacy.  
4. When a student is removed from the school by a law enforcement officer, a Security Incident Report shall document the incident. 
5. In schools where a School Resource Officer (SRO) is assigned or invited, they function as a school staff team member when interacting with students regarding school safety and discipline issues. If, or when, an SRO conducts official police business (students taken into custody or questioned by the SRO as a witness, victim, or suspect of a crime), they will follow the previously stated procedure, AIP 1, and contact the principal or designee as soon as safely possible, who will contact a lawful custodian where appropriate as stated in AIP 1.  

Administrative Responsibility: Safety Services 

Latest Revision Date: January 2020 

Previous Revision Date: April 2011 P2361 

Updated administratively for alignment purposes: December 2020

Download P2361