At Issue: Sept. 10 — Debate on special session over SRO law, staffing troubles plague DOC

The first week of the school year just elapsed for many Minnesota students, and debate continues to swirl over a new law that has caused numerous law enforcement agencies to pull their school resource officers.

Gov. Tim Walz, visiting students on their first day of school, fielded questions on a potential special session to resolve confusion over the law. Republicans remain steadfast that a special session is necessary, while Democrats who support the law say no further change is necessary.

A protest in which about 100 inmates refused to go back to their cells last weekend at the Stillwater prison brought attention to staffing shortages in the Minnesota Department of Corrections. We spoke with former corrections officers who say the issues stem from a lack of leadership.

Later, secretly recorded conversations reveal an off-track safety culture at Minnesota’s largest railroad. The latest installment in 5 INVESTIGATES’ “Off the Rails” series highlights the concerns over track defects directly from a whistleblower, a former Burlington Northern Santa Fe track inspector who says he was fired for reporting too many problems.