Chicago School Board Rejects Plan To Remove Police From Schools

(Bloomberg) -- The Chicago Board of Education on Wednesday narrowly upheld its agreement with the city’s police department to station officers in schools amid broader calls nationwide to reform public safety and curb systemic racism.

The board voted 4 to 3 against terminating a $33 million agreement with the city and its police department that puts officers in schools for safety and security. Calls to remove officers have grown amid outrage across the country over the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died under the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis. Earlier this month, the Minneapolis Board of Education voted to end the district’s contract with the police department. Schools in Portland, Oregon and Seattle have followed.

If we remove the police, “schools are not going to have that safety net that they have,” Dwayne Truss, a board member, said before casting a no vote. “I wish we had an environment possible where we didn’t need school resource officers.”

Students and parents called for the removal of school resource officers and the funds to be reallocated to school counselors, nurses and social workers during the public comment portion of the board meeting.

The district lets local school councils decide whether to have the police officers in their schools. Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Janice Jackson said Monday schools often serve as safe havens for students in Chicago, and the district has been focused on letting local communities decide if they want officers in school buildings. Jackson said she understands the scrutiny, and the district plans to strengthen the selection criteria and screening process for officers.

Principals and local school councils “know and understand their unique school communities, and they are best equipped to make those decisions,” Jackson said during a press conference on Monday. “This is not an issue where a top down mandate will best serve our communities.”

Local Decisions

For the 2019-2020 school year, 72 out of 93 district-run high schools opted to keep the officers, according to the district. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has also said that local school councils should make the decision.

An ordinance intended to remove police from schools was also introduced last week by some city aldermen who say stationing police officers in schools adds risks, especially for minority students. It’s in the rules committee.

“It is not enough to reform or make a better trained or kinder school-to-prison pipeline,” said Elizabeth Todd-Breland, a board member, who voted to end the contract. “We must dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline.”

Before the school board vote, Miguel del Valle, president of the board, recounted his own experiences as a Chicago student, including getting beaten by gang members in the basement of a school.

“Safety is of the utmost concern to all of us,” del Valle said before voting against the measure to terminate the police contract. He also called for ideas to end violence in the city.

“Schools have become safer,” del Valle said. “There’s more that needs to be done, and we need to do it together.”

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