MOORHEAD AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS /schools/moorhead-area-public-schools MOORHEAD AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS en-US Tue, 03 Oct 2023 22:10:35 GMT حلحلآ‏»­ resource officers returning to Moorhead schools /news/minnesota/moorhead-police-officers-to-resume-school-duties Alex Derosier MOORHEAD,MOORHEAD AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS,MOORHEAD POLICE DEPARTMENT,EDUCATION,GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS,MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE The Moorhead Police Department was the first of more than 40 in the state to withdraw officers from schools amid worry about a change to the definition of "reasonable force" in schools. <![CDATA[<p>MOORHEAD — The Moorhead Police Department is sending its officers back to the city's public schools after confusion over a new state law restricting the use of force led the agency to suspend its school resource officer program.</p> <br> <br> <p>Officers will start working in schools again starting Friday, Oct. 6, the police department announced on Tuesday. The Moorhead Police Department was the first of more than 40 in the state to withdraw officers from schools amid worry about a change to the definition of "reasonable force" in schools, which went into effect in August.</p> <br> <br> <p>The new law placed restrictions on face-down restraints and introduced what police said was ambiguity about when force was appropriate. But after Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued an updated opinion on the law last month, Moorhead's school district and police department agreed to resume the program.</p> <br> <br> <p>"We're very happy to get back in there and continue to build good relationships," said Moorhead Police Chief Shannon Monroe, explaining that SRO programs help police intervene with problems before they start by placing officers in student communities and building trust.</p> <br> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/e5c2a8a/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffcc-cue-exports-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Finforum%2Fbinary%2Fcopy%2F1c%2F76%2F98d24c4b70537faa4b873a74b471%2F4375016-1i7drfeuhwo3vrpppndzeawqpff9kglsa-binary-6513215.jpg"> </figure> <br> <p>Moorhead police withdrew in August because of "undue risk of possible civil and criminal liability" posed by the law. While officers did not have full school resource officer duty over the past month, the department said they occasionally made "routine" school walk-throughs.</p> <br> <br> <p>Law enforcement groups throughout the state said they were concerned officers wouldn&#8217;t be able to restrain students who are damaging property or causing disturbances but didn't necessarily pose a serious danger to others. Many suspended school resource officer programs over concerns that the law would prevent officers from legally using physical force on students outside of situations where there is a risk of death or serious injury.</p> <br> <br> <figure class="op-interactive video"> <iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/vtBMYsM0.mp4" width="560" height="315"></iframe> </figure> <br> <p>The language that triggered law enforcement concerns was centered around one word that changed in the statute on use of force. Originally, it said school officers could use force to &ldquo;restrain a student or to prevent bodily harm or death." In the updated statute, officers can use force to "restrain a student to prevent bodily harm or death."</p> <br> <br> <p>It also states school resource officers cannot "inflict any form of physical holding that restricts or impairs a pupil's ability to breathe; restricts or impairs a pupil's ability to 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."</p> <br> <br> <p>Ellison clarified on Sept. 20 that officers are only barred from using those specific restraints outside life or death situations. That clarification was sufficient for Moorhead to reinstate its SRO program, Monroe said, though he added a permanent legislative fix is in order to permanently put the issue to rest.</p> <br> <br> <p>Moorhead's move comes after more than a month of pressure from police groups and Republicans on Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers and Gov. Tim Walz to call a special session to change the new law on force in schools.</p> <br> <br> <p>But Ellison&#8217;s opinion, which was an update to previous guidance he issued in August, appeared to clear the air for at least some agencies in the state. The Minnesota Peace and Police Officers Association said the state still needs to address the law when lawmakers return to the capitol in February.</p> <br> <br> <p>While Moorhead has decided it will return officers to schools this week, the picture is still unclear for many other police departments and school districts in the state. Last week, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty issued guidance on the law contradicting Ellison's guidance, throwing the situation into confusion once again for police agencies across the state.</p> <br> <br> <p>In response to the contradicting guidance, the Minnesota Peace and Police Officers Association (MPPOA) walked back its previous greenlight for officers to resume school resource duties, and told police departments to assess their situation on a local basis, as different county attorneys could have different takes on the new law.</p> <br> <br> <p>Monroe said the Hennepin opinion "did throw a wrench" into the process, but local officials ultimately concluded it wouldn't have an effect on Moorhead.</p> <br> <br> <p>While Moorhead has resolved the school resources officers issue, most other departments have not announced plans yet.</p> <br> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/2a8acef/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F08%2Fbb%2Fd9a3c65d4b3abd0e0f910fd3b1ab%2Frob-kupec.jpg"> </figure> <br> <p>State Sen. Rob Kupec, DFL-Moorhead, said he would have supported a special session if Ellison had not issued an opinion in September that law enforcement groups, including MPPOA, found workable.</p> <br> <br> <p>"We were really looking for a solution and not trying to make political hay of this," he said. "I'm happy it's come to a conclusion and the one I had hoped for."</p> <br> <br> <p>However, he noted he disagrees with the Hennepin opinion and supports more hearings on the issue in the 2024 session to find a permanent solution.</p> <br> <br> <p>Kupec's stance is more middle-of-the-ground than a sizeable bloc of his DFL colleagues. In early September, 44 DFL lawmakers signed a letter opposing a special session to change the law as Republicans pressured Walz to call a special session.</p> <br> <br> <p>DFL legislative leaders have committed to holding hearings on school resource officers in the first weeks of the upcoming session. Walz said he backs finding a permanent solution.</p> <br>]]> Tue, 03 Oct 2023 22:10:35 GMT Alex Derosier /news/minnesota/moorhead-police-officers-to-resume-school-duties Moorhead suspends school resource officer program after law change /news/minnesota/moorhead-suspends-school-resource-officer-program-after-law-change Forum staff MOORHEAD,CRIME AND COURTS,EDUCATION,MOORHEAD AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS,MOORHEAD POLICE DEPARTMENT حلحلآ‏»­ safety remains a top priority, Moorhead police said, and officers are still able to respond to calls at public schools <![CDATA[<p>MOORHEAD — After a change to Minnesota law, the Moorhead Police Department is pulling its school resource officers out of Moorhead Area Public حلحلآ‏»­s, the city said in a Thursday, Aug. 24, release.</p> <br> <br> <p>"Recent changes in Minnesota law have been interpreted by legal counsel to remove the standard law enforcement authority of officers contracted by school districts or assigned to work in schools," Capt. Deric Swenson said in the release.</p> <br> <br> <p><a href="https://legiscan.com/MN/text/HF1269/id/2747749" target="_blank">A section of Minnesota's education bill </a>signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz in May limits the holds school resource officers can use on students. Under the law, school resource officers cannot use a prone, or face-down, restraint.</p> <br> <br> <p>حلحلآ‏»­ resource officers and other school staff also cannot "inflict any form of physical holding that restricts or impairs a pupil's ability to breathe; restricts or impairs a pupil's ability to 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," the law states.</p> <br> <br> <br> <p>Swenson told The Forum the restraint limitations section of the law is what prompted the program suspension, as Minnesota law enforcement is not sure if a school resource officer can have any physical contact with a student.</p> <br> <br> <p>State and local discussions are ongoing about the intent of the law change, the release said, noting the League of Minnesota Cities, Department of Education, Minnesota Police Chiefs Association, Minnesota Sheriffs Association and Attorney General's Office are working to resolve the issue.</p> <br> <br> <p>In the meantime, Moorhead school resource officers are reassigned to patrol duty, the release said.</p> <br> <br> <p>The announcement comes on the first day of school for students in Moorhead Area Public حلحلآ‏»­s.</p> <br> <br> <p>The school resource officer program has been in place for more than 30 years in Moorhead, the release said, and school safety remains a top priority. Police are still able to respond to calls at public schools.</p> <br> <br><i>Check back for updates as this story develops.</i>]]> Thu, 24 Aug 2023 20:27:57 GMT Forum staff /news/minnesota/moorhead-suspends-school-resource-officer-program-after-law-change How did this Minnesotan get nicknamed 'Boudoir Eyes' and end up featured in the movie 'Oppenheimer'? /news/the-vault/why-is-a-former-moorhead-spud-basketball-eatured-in-the-movie-oppenheimer Tracy Briggs BACK THEN WITH TRACY BRIGGS,HISTORY,MOORHEAD,MOORHEAD AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS,HISTORICAL,VAULT - HISTORICAL,VAULT - 1960s Warren Magnuson was the high school team captain and later hobnobbed with U.S. presidents, dated movie stars and quietly became one of the most powerful men in the country. <![CDATA[<p>MOORHEAD — One newspaper nicknamed him &ldquo;Boudoir Eyes.&rdquo; Another claimed the &ldquo;dapper, blue-eyed senator has been causing heart flutters since he landed in the Capitol.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>By all accounts, U.S. Senator Warren Magnuson had it going on.</p> <br> <p>Sure, some gossip rags claimed he was a Casanova of Capitol Hill, but others said despite the handsome face, he was less showhorse and more workhorse — a potent, yet genial wheeler-dealer who got things done for the people back home who just knew him as &ldquo;Maggie.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>Magnuson represented Washington state from 1937 to 1981, but people back home in Moorhead, where he was born and reared, took notice and swelled with pride as their hometown boy made good.</p> <br> <p>Now, as he's featured in the blockbuster hit "Oppenheimer," here's a closer look at the man sometimes heralded as "Good-Time Charlie Scandinavian."</p> <br> <b>Humble beginnings</b> <p>As cliched as it might be for a politician to claim he came from humble beginnings, for Magnuson it wasn&#8217;t a lie. His story is vintage Horatio Alger. When he was just three or four months old, his mother put him up for adoption. He was adopted from the orphanage in Moorhead by Scandinavian immigrants Emma and Warren Magnuson, who he later recalled &ldquo;didn&#8217;t have much.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>Perhaps that&#8217;s why he went to work — first as a &ldquo;newsie&rdquo; selling The Fargo Courier News on the streets of downtown and later delivering telegrams for Western Union. But school and activities were important to him as well. He became the captain of Moorhead High's basketball team and played quarterback for the Spud football team.</p> <br> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/41bc3d3/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F0e%2F8c%2F0b3a48e34e22b93b3f42c8cab3d6%2Fimg-1042-1.PNG"> </figure> <br> <p>After graduating in 1923, he enrolled at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. But after six months, his sister married and his widowed mother was left alone. He moved back to Fargo-Moorhead to be with her and finish his freshman year at North Dakota State University.</p> <br> <br> <p>But by the age of 19, he left school and found his way to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, where he began work with a threshing crew. He stuffed the money he had earned into his shoe and rode box cars to the West Coast of the United States. (Some reports say he moved there to follow a high school girlfriend.)</p> <br> <br> <p>When he reached Seattle, he took a job pushing an ice wagon. His earnings from that job, plus his savings from his previous jobs, helped pay his way through the University of Washington. While there, he studied law and played third string on the football team which eventually made it to the Rose Bowl.</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/c06c84f/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F83%2Fea%2F60b6931b429891edde8ee7f037f1%2Fyoung-warren.jpg"> </figure> <b>A career in public service</b> <p>With a law degree in hand, the young Magnuson soon ran for public office — getting elected to the state legislature.</p> <br> <br> <p>According to a story in The Forum, Magnuson "showed his liberal stripes there by introducing the nation's first unemployment compensation bill and a measure to give 18-year-olds the right to vote.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>Eventually, he heeded the call from constituents to go to Washington, D.C. He ran for Congress and won. He agreed to serve &ldquo;for a couple of years and then come back and practice law.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>Those &ldquo;couple of years&rdquo; turned into almost 44. He served seven years in the House of Representatives and served more than 36 in the Senate. (His time in the House was interrupted for eight months when he served with the Navy in the South Pacific during World War II).</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/d21bece/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F19%2F24%2F265dbd6e47a095784c4379de5f52%2Fimg-0043.jpg"> </figure> <br> <p>His time spent in Washington was largely about building relationships. According to newspaper reports of the era, he played poker with President Roosevelt, fished with President Truman, was a confidant to President Kennedy, and even recruited President Johnson to be the best man in his wedding.</p> <br> <br> <p>Other relationships were built between the four walls of the Senate office buildings. Later in life, with his now rumpled appearance and cigar in his mouth, he was the living embodiment of the consummate Senate insider.</p> <br> <br> <p>&ldquo;We used to sit in the cloakroom and smoke cigars and chat,&rdquo; Magnuson said after he retired.</p> <br> <blockquote> <p>He is still that ever-loving, good-time Charlie Scandinavian come out of the woods on a Saturday night for fun, sociability, and a yearning to spread joy</p> </blockquote> <p>Sen. Magnuson is in the spotlight again in 2023. He's featured in the hit movie &ldquo;Oppenheimer.&rdquo; Played by actor Gregory Jbara, Magnuson is seen chairing the committee that heard testimony from scientists about commerce secretary nominee and Oppenheimer nemesis Lewis Strauss.</p> <br> <br> <p>The scenes featured in the movie are just part of the real Warren Magnuson resume. He was also known for introducing legislation regulating flammable fabrics, auto safety, cigarette labeling and truth in packaging. He also championed medical research and conservation.</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/4eea8ba/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fa0%2Fa2%2Fa1960c424b789bf9fc6fa38d8ab7%2Fimg-0042.jpg"> </figure> <b>Maggie the ladies' man</b> <p>But as much attention as Magnuson garnered for achievement in bills passed, he perhaps was best known in his early years for being &ldquo;the most eligible bachelor&rdquo; in Congress.</p> <br> <br> <p>After his divorce in 1935 from his first wife Eleanor Maddieux, a former Miss Seattle, he was rumored to be dating movie stars Rita Hayworth and Carole Parker. In 1940, gossip columnists hinted at an affair between New York Model Vera York and the &ldquo;blond, handsome Congressman.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>When asked about her son&#8217;s relationship with York, Magnuson&#8217;s mother, Emma, still living in Moorhead, chuckled and said &ldquo;We know he has a picture of her, but that&#8217;s about all we know.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>By 1951, newspaper headlines screamed of a relationship between "the dashing Democrat" and actress June Millarde (formerly Toni Seven).</p> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/cb4f83f/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F80%2F93%2Fec823d574c62aaf4cf95d26606ec%2Fimg-0041.jpg"> </figure> <p>He once addressed his ladies&#8217; man reputation while campaigning. Holding up a scandal sheet he said, &ldquo;They say in here that I like girls. Well, it&#8217;s true. Would you want a senator who doesn&#8217;t?&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>A &ldquo;Time&rdquo; magazine story profiling Magnuson in 1961 said that after all of his years in office, "he is still that ever-loving, good-time Charlie Scandinavian come out of the woods on a Saturday night for fun, sociability, and a yearning to spread joy.&rdquo;</p> <br> <br> <p>However, by 1964, he settled down and married his second wife, Jermaine Elliott Peralta, with President Johnson standing by his side as best man.</p> <br> <b>Magnuson&#8217;s Legacy</b> <p>Despite holding the powerful position of chair of the Appropriations Committee, Magnuson was not re-elected in 1980, losing to Republican Slade Gorton. It was the first time Magnuson had lost an election of any kind.</p> <br> <br> <p>After his defeat, he swore he wouldn&#8217;t be a lame duck, but a &ldquo;retired rooster.&rdquo; He campaigned successfully for a Seattle city bond issue for senior housing and became a mainstay of Democratic fundraisers.</p> <br> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/633dbff/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F5d%2F25%2F2fa6239b4416bb8bb72a0ed4a051%2Fwarrengmagnuson.jpg"> </figure> <p>He died on May 20, 1989, at the age of 84 from congestive heart failure due to complications from diabetes. According to his obituary in The Forum, Magnsuon was survived by his wife, daughter, and two grandchildren.</p> <br> <br> <p>His memory has been honored both in Washington state and in the Washington D. C. area, with the Warren G. Magnuson Health Sciences Building at the University of Washington and the Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. At least three important pieces of legislation bear his name as well.</p> <br> <br> <p>He&#8217;s also being remembered in his hometown of Moorhead. He&#8217;s mentioned in <a href="https://www.inforum.com/news/moorhead/150-years-of-being-a-spud-book-documenting-history-of-moorhead-schools-is-finished">&rdquo;Once a Spud&mldr;Always a Spud&rdquo; a new book soon to be released about the history of Moorhead Area Public حلحلآ‏»­s.</a></p> <br> <br> <p>Orders can be placed online at: <a href="https://www.moorheadlegacy.org/?fbclid=IwAR30vwJJdvKOnlPy_qBTnXUYX-xgc4TGo1fnOkQBqK_bETj-LR08GIHpd5Y">www.moorheadlegacy.org.</a></p> <br>]]> Wed, 09 Aug 2023 15:15:00 GMT Tracy Briggs /news/the-vault/why-is-a-former-moorhead-spud-basketball-eatured-in-the-movie-oppenheimer Former Minnesota school superintendent pleads guilty to indecent exposure charges /news/former-minnesota-school-superintendent-pleads-guilty-to-indecent-exposure-charges Forum News Service CRIME AND COURTS,MOORHEAD AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Scott Staska, a former high school principal in Barnesville who was a finalist for superintendent of Moorhead Area Public حلحلآ‏»­s, has pleaded guilty to indecent exposure charges in Stearns County District Court. <![CDATA[<p>ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Scott Staska, a former high school principal in Barnesville who was a finalist for superintendent of Moorhead Area Public حلحلآ‏»­s, has pleaded guilty to indecent exposure charges in Stearns County District Court.</p> <br> <br> <p>On Friday, Dec. 28, Staska, 57, pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal to four misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure. Fifteen other counts are to be dismissed.</p> <br> <br> <p>Staska will be sentenced Jan. 31. Under the plea deal, he is to serve 80 hours of community service and possibly face fines of up to $300 per count.</p> <br> <br> <p>The charges stem from early 2018, when Staska was arrested on suspicion of exposing himself at a number of stores in St. Cloud and Waite Park.</p> <br> <br> <p>When the allegations came to light, Staska was the superintendent of schools in the Rocori حلحلآ‏»­ District, a job he took in 2002.</p> <br> <br> <p>He resigned after he was arrested.</p> <br> <br> <p>In early 2018, Staska was a finalist for the job of school superintendent in Moorhead, but he took himself out of the running after the allegations came to light.</p> <br> <br> <p>Before Rocori, Staska was superintendent for a school district based in Granite Falls.</p> <br> <br> <p>He previously worked for Barnesville public schools as a teacher, an assistant principal and as a principal.</p> <br> <br> <p>In 1996, a 17-year-old was charged in connection with a drive-by shooting incident in which several gunshots were fired into Staska's home when he lived in Barnesville. The shots narrowly missed his then-toddler son.</p> <br> <br> <br> <p>Staska left Barnesville in 1999.</p> <br> <br> <figure> <img src="https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/00d88be/2147483647/resize/800x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffcc-cue-exports-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Finforum%2Fbinary%2FStaska%20Scott_binary_943275.jpg"> </figure> <br> <br>]]> Mon, 31 Dec 2018 20:55:42 GMT Forum News Service /news/former-minnesota-school-superintendent-pleads-guilty-to-indecent-exposure-charges