Police in Schools

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, I proposed and chaired a task force to reimagine policing in my home community. After nearly a year of evidence gathering and community engagement, one of our recommendations was to end the School Resource Officer program. A majority of our Select Board and a unanimous School Committee agreed. And so it was.

Flash forward to this past fall when an unexpected effort to bring back the program was initiated with little notice and zero engagement with those concerned about the negative impacts of police in schools. Brookline for Racial Justice & Equity, a nonprofit where I serve as executive director, has led the charge in opposition to this effort.

We quickly launched our Just Say NO to SROs campaign and rushed 35 opposition letters to the Select Board. Meanwhile, our partners at Citizens for Juvenile Justice submitted their own evidence-based letter opposing this misguided effort. But, the Select Board had their mind made up and voted to recommend reinstatement.

It’s now in the hands of the School Committee, and we are preparing a new positive pressure campaign in coordination with educators, parents, and community leaders. More to come.