Two Sides of Policing Inside Schools

The role of police officers in schools has received intense scrutiny in many communities over the past year. As a result, dozens of school districts have ended formal school resource officer programs. One of those is Minneapolis, where the death of George Floyd during police interaction prompted much of the current attention to law enforcement inside schools.

Other school systems, such as Cherry Hill, N.J., have pointed to improvements in school climate for maintaining police officers on campuses.

Those two positions are captured in the two articles by school system leaders that follow.

Toward a Holistic Approach to Student Safety

By Eric A. Moore

Last May 25, George Floyd was murdered on a downtown street by the Minneapolis police department. The next day, I sat in the superintendent’s cabinet meeting, listening to an African American co-worker share his hurt and disbelief of the horrific video just posted on social media. I sat numb.

The concept of a police officer killing an unarmed black man was not surprising. My chest still gets tighter when I see a police officer with a firearm. At age 5, my father taught me the lesson that any moment a uniformed officer could end my life because of my skin color. I passed on these same lessons to my son when he turned 7.

As an African American man, I understand that the same institutions that I depend on for safety often fail to recognize my basic humanity in the same way as my white colleagues. George Floyd wasn’t innocent, but he did not deserve to die.

Honoring Identity

On June 2, the Minneapolis school board unanimously voted to eliminate the $1.1 million contract for school resource officers and reallocate the dollars toward a new model of safety. The board charged the superintendent and leadership team with recommending a new approach that honored the academic, cultural and racial identities of the district’s 36,000 students plus staff, families and community.

This new model was presented in August by Karen DeVet, district senior officer for operations, and me. The presentation included a new position description and a proactive equity-based vision for school climate.

To be fair, the school resource officer position had been under scrutiny since 2016. A year later, the school board asked leadership staff to reduce the number of SROs from 16 to 13 and to conduct a program evaluation. As a result, the district placed greater emphasis on role definition in schools through racial bias training and removal of the formal uniform.

From 2017 to 2020, student involvement with SROs gradually declined. However, reducing the number of officers was not universally supported. Many principals, especially in higher crime communities, valued having a police presence in schools. They cited examples of the officers’ valuable contributions as mentors, coaches and professional colleagues. Still, the perception of the SRO as an extension of law enforcement had become a symbol of dehumanization, discrimination and fear to many Minneapolis residents.

As a result of the August board presentation, 11 additional security services specialists were hired by the operations division in partnership with the district’s divisions overseeing equity, academics, engagement and human resources. The new positions were created with intention to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline by building strong student relationships, collaborating with mental health professionals and de-escalating conflict.

These positions aren’t perfect. Despite our desire to hire nontraditional staff, some have law enforcement backgrounds. However, as a district, we believe the greatest deterrent to the school-to-prison pipeline is improved literacy, community collaboration and positive climates. Our new model recognizes both the need to deconstruct our status quo of policing in schools and acknowledges that many parents no longer trust SROs to protect their children.

Major Investments

In addition to the new positions, we are doubling our investment in early literacy and adding budget line items of $1 million for mental health support and equity training for all staff. 

Ethnic studies is now a graduation requirement. Through our contract with teachers, we signed a memorandum for restorative practices to become our foundational approach for student discipline. We are investing significantly in the recruitment and retention of teachers of color and have negotiated layoff protections for teachers in our highest-poverty schools.

Finally, we have developed a climate framework to guide all aspects of our organization. We are moving away from student compliance toward owning our own agency and creating spaces where all can feel fully seen, valued and heard. We believe the disruption of the school-to-prison pipeline begins and ends with recognizing the humanity of our students rather than policing their bodies. Our journey is just beginning.

ERIC MOORE is senior officer for accountability, research and equity for Minneapolis Public Schools in Minneapolis, Minn. 

KAREN DEVET, senior officer for operations for Minneapolis Public Schools, contributed to this article.

Our Police Remain a Nurturing Force

By Joseph N. Meloche

When the Cherry Hill, N.J., School District formed an internal police department in the early 1980s, the staff consisted of four sworn law enforcement officers and a liaison between the district and the municipal police. Our police department has changed dramatically since those early days, but the focus remains on building positive relationships with students and addressing concerns before they become problems.

With safety and security the top priorities, I’ve conducted monthly meetings with the Cherry Hill police chief since 2015. He is well-known in our district of 11,000 students, a leader who models community policing, who sees the impact of positive relations between law enforcement and the schools. He has addressed our school board multiple times about the district’s security protocols, staffing and building access.

Maximum Security

A dramatic shift took place in spring 2018, in the aftermath of the shooting tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. As in much of the nation, community members made emotional pleas at a packed school board meeting for district leaders to do everything feasible to guarantee safety in our schools.

Until that time, our school board policy prevented campus police from being armed while on duty, although the officers had to maintain their firearm certification multiple times each year at the shooting range. At a board meeting in February, Cherry Hill’s mayor offered to assign municipal police officers to our schools for the remainder of the school year. The board followed by revising district policy to permit campus police to carry handguns while on duty.

The policy change sparked considerable discussion in the community as officers went from being unarmed on Friday to armed on Monday. But there was a much more muted reaction within the schools where campus police officers had established positive relationships with students and staff.

During summer 2018, the school district expanded its campus police department from five to nine officers. The hiring process, overseen by our director of security and director of human resources, convened an interviewing panel that included representatives from the Cherry Hill Police Department, Cherry Hill African American Civic Association, Cherry Hill Hispanic Civic Association, Cherry Hill Special Education PTA and an organization representing the district’s 19 PTAs. The stakeholders made recommendations about officer candidates, suggested training and offered feedback after the hiring.

Personal Dealings

I consider it centrally important that the campus police officers are school district employees who report to our district’s director of security. Their police training in crisis management, firearms use and de-escalation tactics is the foundation of their work, but so too is their ongoing district-run training in cultural proficiency, equity and character education. This makes these officers uniquely valuable to our school community.

These officers are visible, known and beloved. Two officers patrol our 12 elementary schools and the early childhood center. At each school, they interact with students, staff and families. The interaction is personal, whether during morning drop-off or at a school assembly to promote character education.

Following a student-organized Juneteenth March last June, I met with a group of high school students of color to discuss the trauma of the spring and the impact on their lives in our own community. Students were and remain concerned about the role of armed police in our schools.

Encouraging the students to raise their voices and then listening to what they share are vital to our path forward. This includes providing appropriate social-emotional support to our students who were most severely impacted by the social unrest and carry fears over their own safety. The dialogue must be ongoing.

Five of our campus police officers have, or have had, children in our school district. The department is wholly committed to the safety, support and success of our students. As individuals and as small groups, the campus police officers will meet with students to talk through their concerns, their fears and their needs so our school system can improve the experience for each child.

I meet with the campus officers regularly to discuss their experiences, their successes and their challenges. The most heartwarming interactions between students and campus police are visible at graduation each year, where we see the nurturing role of these trusted adults is fully on display.

JOSEPH MELOCHE is superintendent of the Cherry Hill Public Schools in Cherry Hill, N.J.
@MelocheJoe