The Chicago Board of Education voted Thursday to end its contract with the Chicago Police Department and remove uniformed officers from the city’s schools.
The vote came at the end of a nearly eight-hour school board meeting with teachers, students and city elected officials.
There has been an ongoing battle over whether uniformed officers should be stationed at 39 of the city’s 634 schools, which they have patrolled since police were assigned to school security in 1991.
Some students told the school board that they were afraid of school police.
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The principal at Chicago’s Taft High School reportedly shared his concerns about the potential decision, saying the safety of students and staff is a top priority. (Google Maps)
Supporters of removing police officers from schools argued that they target minorities and do not make schools safer.
Instead, those same advocates suggested that the money spent on police patrols could be put to better use.
Opponents of removing police officers from schools argue that police officers make schools safer, and told school board members that it should be up to each school to decide whether to have uniformed officers on campus. I’m telling you.
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Chicago Public Schools has voted to remove school resource officers from the 39 schools they still patrol. (Getty Images)
FOX 32 in Chicago When the board voted, it reported in favor of a new “school-wide safety policy” that would eliminate the use of school resource officers.
The formal plan will be submitted to board members for final approval over the summer and, if approved, will go into effect next school year.
In a letter obtained by the Board of Education, the Board of Education said, “Many schools will continue to employ physical safety personnel, such as entrance guards, crossing guards, and safety corridor personnel, to help students get to and from school safely. I want to be clear.” station. “Some schools will also continue to use physical security tools, such as surveillance cameras and metal detectors. In addition, each school will also continue to use physical security tools, such as surveillance cameras and metal detectors. Additionally, each school will use the positions assigned to each police district to provide safety support. Continue to maintain a relationship with a local Chicago Police Department “school sergeant.” to school. ”
The board also said in the letter that funds spent on school uniformed officers will be redirected to “alternative safety positions, resources and interventions” such as restorative justice coordinators, youth intervention specialists, and wrap-around support and mentoring programs. He reportedly said that it would be allocated. .
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Chicago police officer in uniform. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service/File via Getty Images)
In early January, it was reported that the Chicago Board of Education was seeking to strip local school councils, an organization made up of parents, teachers and students, of their ability to choose whether to have SROs in their schools. After withdrawing the decision from the local council, the school board plans to remove all officers from the schoolyard, according to . Local outlet WBEZ.
Councilman Nicholas Sposato was reportedly already informed that CPS would not opt out of renewing its contract with the Chicago Police Department.
“Local school boards already have the power to fire officers, but district leaders are wresting that local control away,” said the Illinois Policy Institute, a think tank that tracks policy decisions in the state.
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) advocated removing police officers from schools in 2020 amid the George Floyd protests.
“These students, and the parents, teachers, and staff who support them, are looking at the data, experiencing brutality, and demanding police-free schools.” CTU said in a statement: In June 2020.
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Some schools chose to remove officers from campus in 2020. William Taft Howard High School was one of the few schools to vote to retain its officers.
William Howard Taft High School is one of 151 high schools in CPS with an enrollment of more than 4,000 students. CPS oversees 646 schools and his 300,000 students.
For News Digital’s Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.
