Sheriff’s Office, JMCSS release statement following incident at Liberty Tech

JACKSON, Tenn. — The Madison County Sheriff’s Office and Jackson-Madison County School System released a statement Tuesday afternoon in a joint press conference after an incident involving a student and school resource officer Monday at Liberty Technology Magnet High School.

The Jackson-Madison County School System has confirmed a student was taken into custody Tuesday after an incident on a school bus. The student was one of three students asked to leave a bus Monday afternoon, but when the student refused to comply with the bus driver and administrators, school officials say the SRO responded and asked the student to get off the bus.

School officials say the student again refused to leave the bus, and the SRO removed the student prior to the now viral video.

Interim Superintendent Ray Washington says he is working with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office to address how SROs handle alleged student misconduct. Sheriff John Mehr says he believes the SRO involved in the incident used appropriate force in the situation.