Omaha: School resource officers use "shock gloves" on special needs students

Aug 17, 2026, WOWT, Omaha: Parents raise questions about shock gloves after Omaha Police detail incident at special education school

-Omaha Public Schools is addressing the use of shock gloves in district schools during its board meeting Monday night.

Parents plan to raise concerns about the devices during public comment.

OPS leadership said they would speak on the issue during the meeting. Omaha Police demonstrated how the devices, known as GLOVE, were used during a demonstration for First Alert 6 last Friday. The story drew questions from parents.

Parents react

First Alert 6 reached out to several Omaha Public Schools parents over social media and received comments, text messages, and a phone call in opposition to the use of GLOVE in OPS schools.

One OPS parent said she was upset that Monday’s meeting was scheduled at the same time as back-to-school night. While her children are in elementary school, where GLOVE is not in use, she said parents should have received notice about the device.

“As a parent and be trusting of that when you just, especially when there is this lack of transparency, now that this is coming out after the fact and it was not explained, like we were not all aware of this before. It just makes me feel not super secure, I guess,” said Jessica Tworek, a parent of an OPS student, in a phone interview.

Other parents told First Alert 6 they were comfortable with the devices to keep students and teachers safe.

The Arc of Nebraska issued a statement on Monday about GLOVE use:

“In light of the news that Omaha area schools have deployed the use of ‘shock gloves’ by School Resource Officers (SRO) in schools.

The Arc of Nebraska is strongly opposed to the use of aversive procedures, including shock technology, on students in Nebraska schools, and particularly on students with intellectual or developmental disabilities. There is a long and tragic history of the use of painful, aversive procedures on individuals with disabilities, and

The Arc of Nebraska requests immediate transparency by Omaha-area public school districts and the Omaha Police Department regarding how this aversive technology has been used, as well as assurances that it will not be used on students with disabilities."

The Arc of Nebraska executive board

How the device works

Omaha Police said school resource officers are trained to give verbal commands before the glove is turned on.

“We ultimately believe the G.L.O.V.E. technology, combined with OPD training and protocols, offers a less-forceful tool for SROs to use on the rare times it might be needed,” a statement from OPD Chief Todd Schmaderer and Mayor John Ewing Jr. on Monday detailed that process. “...We know use of force in a school environment is serious. That is why officers are trained in the school environment and instructed to use force sparingly. It is also why OPD intended to provide officers with the necessary tools, training and resources to best respond to situations in our schools. The presence of an SRO in a school is intended to enhance safety, and having appropriate equipment available allows officers to respond to a variety of situations while seeking to minimize the potential for injury.”

The shock is controlled by the grip of the SRO through pads, not barbs, inside the glove.  . . .