Petition to bring back SROs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's think beyond just shootings too. Wouldn't having an SRO be a deterrent to doing drugs / robbing people in the bathrooms?

And, the rapes.

The SRO didn’t stop the RM security guard from raping a student.

so.. we shouldn't have security guards, either?

2-4 staff cannot monitor every area, which is why they need camera's in these areas with someone monitoring it.

And one person can not monitor all of those cameras at once all day long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we maybe agree that the studies on whether or not SROs are effective at reducing violence and crime in schools are inconclusive? There are studies that conclude either way.

What is conclusive is that SROs are not effective at reducing gun violence.

So that leaves us on an even playing field of discussing whether or not the potential benefits are worth the potential harms. We can have an honest and good faith debate about that.

So, what do you recommend at the alternative? The do nothing approach clearly isn't working.

Great question. I think a multi-faceted approach is required, and it really depends on the problem we are trying to solve. I definitely agree that "restorative justice" approach needs to be drastically overhauled or scrapped. We need more teachers, administrators, and most of counselors across the board. We need a broader societal change to solve the underlying problems that contribute to kids behaving in these ways. I think the approach some schools have taken to require students to wear their IDs around their necks is not a bad idea...

All of those are great, but it's not easy or quick. We have to do something, and right now, SROs are a good alternative. It's not perfect, certainly, but I think SROs can be part of the solution. Everyone agrees that SROs need more training and vetting. They can do some good.

I would start with wearing IDs and increasing counselors. Both are as easy to quickly implement, or easier, than getting fulltime well-trained police officers in each school fulltime.

Should add, that as far as I know neither the IDs or the counselors are something that any research shows could have negative unintended consequences.

Most kids don't even bring a notebook to school. You think they are all going to remember to wear an ID every day? I mean the thought is there but, there is no control of these kids. There will be hundreds that forget each week

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's think beyond just shootings too. Wouldn't having an SRO be a deterrent to doing drugs / robbing people in the bathrooms?

And, the rapes.

The SRO didn’t stop the RM security guard from raping a student.

so.. we shouldn't have security guards, either?

2-4 staff cannot monitor every area, which is why they need camera's in these areas with someone monitoring it.

And one person can not monitor all of those cameras at once all day long.

Yes, they can for or each of the security guards/SRO's can rotate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we maybe agree that the studies on whether or not SROs are effective at reducing violence and crime in schools are inconclusive? There are studies that conclude either way.

What is conclusive is that SROs are not effective at reducing gun violence.

So that leaves us on an even playing field of discussing whether or not the potential benefits are worth the potential harms. We can have an honest and good faith debate about that.

So, what do you recommend at the alternative? The do nothing approach clearly isn't working.

Great question. I think a multi-faceted approach is required, and it really depends on the problem we are trying to solve. I definitely agree that "restorative justice" approach needs to be drastically overhauled or scrapped. We need more teachers, administrators, and most of counselors across the board. We need a broader societal change to solve the underlying problems that contribute to kids behaving in these ways. I think the approach some schools have taken to require students to wear their IDs around their necks is not a bad idea...

We cannot fix these problems with by broader societal change as no one is willing to do it. So, what approach would you suggest that will have a direct impact in MCPS schools. Wearing ID's is a good idea.

Direct impact on what? drugs in schools? vaping? fist fights? students with guns? non-students with guns? overall decline in education?

Each problem needs a somewhat different intervention.

So, what are YOUR recommendations for each problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we maybe agree that the studies on whether or not SROs are effective at reducing violence and crime in schools are inconclusive? There are studies that conclude either way.

What is conclusive is that SROs are not effective at reducing gun violence.

So that leaves us on an even playing field of discussing whether or not the potential benefits are worth the potential harms. We can have an honest and good faith debate about that.

So, what do you recommend at the alternative? The do nothing approach clearly isn't working.

Great question. I think a multi-faceted approach is required, and it really depends on the problem we are trying to solve. I definitely agree that "restorative justice" approach needs to be drastically overhauled or scrapped. We need more teachers, administrators, and most of counselors across the board. We need a broader societal change to solve the underlying problems that contribute to kids behaving in these ways. I think the approach some schools have taken to require students to wear their IDs around their necks is not a bad idea...

All of those are great, but it's not easy or quick. We have to do something, and right now, SROs are a good alternative. It's not perfect, certainly, but I think SROs can be part of the solution. Everyone agrees that SROs need more training and vetting. They can do some good.

I would start with wearing IDs and increasing counselors. Both are as easy to quickly implement, or easier, than getting fulltime well-trained police officers in each school fulltime.

Should add, that as far as I know neither the IDs or the counselors are something that any research shows could have negative unintended consequences.

It also takes time to hire counselors. MCPS is already short staffed everywhere. When Elrich got rid of SROs, he put the budget towards hiring more counselors. They couldn't even fill half of the required counselors.

I like the ID card idea, but that's not foolproof either. I can forsee a lot of kids saying, "oh, I forgot it", and because there would be so many of these "I forgots", the admin/security will just let them go. Also, the IDs are tiny, and kids who used to attend but no longer do can easily try to fool the admin/security guard by using their old RMID cards. It's hard to see the year from several feet away.

But, if you are talking ID cards like you get at work, that would work better, but the background color would have to change every year. Added expense.

None of this faster than getting SROs back in the schools since we already have CEOs and previous SROs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SRO's are not wanted because they are required to involve police in matters which the school want to keep things hush hush. The more arrests, assaults, etc... the worse the school looks. Now do I think teachers and staff want them? Yes. Does administration and central? Absolutely not

This is so true. Do you know a MCPS school is not mandated to contact the police when there is a rape on campus? Right now schools are barely contacting police for things police should be contacted for.

Interesting question. CPS mandatory reporting could be involved. Title IX gets involved. But MCPS is explicitly not a crime fighting agency.

Statistically, SROs rarely of any benefit. Both Parkland and Uvalde had SROs present and that didn't help matters.

Most experts believe they actually make things worse, and their presence escalates or increases the death toll.

SROs have been criticized for not effectively addressing discipline issues and creating a negative school environment, leading to higher rates of criminalization and arrests for minor offenses, and having a limited positive impact on school safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we maybe agree that the studies on whether or not SROs are effective at reducing violence and crime in schools are inconclusive? There are studies that conclude either way.

What is conclusive is that SROs are not effective at reducing gun violence.

So that leaves us on an even playing field of discussing whether or not the potential benefits are worth the potential harms. We can have an honest and good faith debate about that.

So, what do you recommend at the alternative? The do nothing approach clearly isn't working.

Great question. I think a multi-faceted approach is required, and it really depends on the problem we are trying to solve. I definitely agree that "restorative justice" approach needs to be drastically overhauled or scrapped. We need more teachers, administrators, and most of counselors across the board. We need a broader societal change to solve the underlying problems that contribute to kids behaving in these ways. I think the approach some schools have taken to require students to wear their IDs around their necks is not a bad idea...

I wrote the above....and RMHS just implemented the ID requirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SRO's are not wanted because they are required to involve police in matters which the school want to keep things hush hush. The more arrests, assaults, etc... the worse the school looks. Now do I think teachers and staff want them? Yes. Does administration and central? Absolutely not

This is so true. Do you know a MCPS school is not mandated to contact the police when there is a rape on campus? Right now schools are barely contacting police for things police should be contacted for.

Interesting question. CPS mandatory reporting could be involved. Title IX gets involved. But MCPS is explicitly not a crime fighting agency.

Statistically, SROs rarely of any benefit. Both Parkland and Uvalde had SROs present and that didn't help matters.

Most experts believe they actually make things worse, and their presence escalates or increases the death toll.

SROs have been criticized for not effectively addressing discipline issues and creating a negative school environment, leading to higher rates of criminalization and arrests for minor offenses, and having a limited positive impact on school safety.

It's not their job to discipline. That is the job of the administration and teachers and PARENTS.

How about all the positive things SRO's do every day. Clearly it was safer in years past with SRO's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we maybe agree that the studies on whether or not SROs are effective at reducing violence and crime in schools are inconclusive? There are studies that conclude either way.

What is conclusive is that SROs are not effective at reducing gun violence.

So that leaves us on an even playing field of discussing whether or not the potential benefits are worth the potential harms. We can have an honest and good faith debate about that.

So, what do you recommend at the alternative? The do nothing approach clearly isn't working.

Great question. I think a multi-faceted approach is required, and it really depends on the problem we are trying to solve. I definitely agree that "restorative justice" approach needs to be drastically overhauled or scrapped. We need more teachers, administrators, and most of counselors across the board. We need a broader societal change to solve the underlying problems that contribute to kids behaving in these ways. I think the approach some schools have taken to require students to wear their IDs around their necks is not a bad idea...

All of those are great, but it's not easy or quick. We have to do something, and right now, SROs are a good alternative. It's not perfect, certainly, but I think SROs can be part of the solution. Everyone agrees that SROs need more training and vetting. They can do some good.

I would start with wearing IDs and increasing counselors. Both are as easy to quickly implement, or easier, than getting fulltime well-trained police officers in each school fulltime.

Should add, that as far as I know neither the IDs or the counselors are something that any research shows could have negative unintended consequences.

It also takes time to hire counselors. MCPS is already short staffed everywhere. When Elrich got rid of SROs, he put the budget towards hiring more counselors. They couldn't even fill half of the required counselors.

I like the ID card idea, but that's not foolproof either. I can forsee a lot of kids saying, "oh, I forgot it", and because there would be so many of these "I forgots", the admin/security will just let them go. Also, the IDs are tiny, and kids who used to attend but no longer do can easily try to fool the admin/security guard by using their old RMID cards. It's hard to see the year from several feet away.

But, if you are talking ID cards like you get at work, that would work better, but the background color would have to change every year. Added expense.

None of this faster than getting SROs back in the schools since we already have CEOs and previous SROs.

Then, parents are called and expected to bring them, they get a temporary one or parents get charged for a replacement if lost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SRO's are not wanted because they are required to involve police in matters which the school want to keep things hush hush. The more arrests, assaults, etc... the worse the school looks. Now do I think teachers and staff want them? Yes. Does administration and central? Absolutely not

This is so true. Do you know a MCPS school is not mandated to contact the police when there is a rape on campus? Right now schools are barely contacting police for things police should be contacted for.

Interesting question. CPS mandatory reporting could be involved. Title IX gets involved. But MCPS is explicitly not a crime fighting agency.

Statistically, SROs rarely of any benefit. Both Parkland and Uvalde had SROs present and that didn't help matters.

Most experts believe they actually make things worse, and their presence escalates or increases the death toll.

SROs have been criticized for not effectively addressing discipline issues and creating a negative school environment, leading to higher rates of criminalization and arrests for minor offenses, and having a limited positive impact on school safety.

It's not their job to discipline. That is the job of the administration and teachers and PARENTS.

How about all the positive things SRO's do every day. Clearly it was safer in years past with SRO's.

Tell that to Tyre Nichols. So much police violence these days. I'd hesitate to have them near my children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SRO's are not wanted because they are required to involve police in matters which the school want to keep things hush hush. The more arrests, assaults, etc... the worse the school looks. Now do I think teachers and staff want them? Yes. Does administration and central? Absolutely not

This is so true. Do you know a MCPS school is not mandated to contact the police when there is a rape on campus? Right now schools are barely contacting police for things police should be contacted for.

Interesting question. CPS mandatory reporting could be involved. Title IX gets involved. But MCPS is explicitly not a crime fighting agency.

Statistically, SROs rarely of any benefit. Both Parkland and Uvalde had SROs present and that didn't help matters.

Most experts believe they actually make things worse, and their presence escalates or increases the death toll.

SROs have been criticized for not effectively addressing discipline issues and creating a negative school environment, leading to higher rates of criminalization and arrests for minor offenses, and having a limited positive impact on school safety.

It's not their job to discipline. That is the job of the administration and teachers and PARENTS.

How about all the positive things SRO's do every day. Clearly it was safer in years past with SRO's.

Tell that to Tyre Nichols. So much police violence these days. I'd hesitate to have them near my children.

So, your solution is nothing? And, you think that is safer. You can always put your kids in private, virtual or homeschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we maybe agree that the studies on whether or not SROs are effective at reducing violence and crime in schools are inconclusive? There are studies that conclude either way.

What is conclusive is that SROs are not effective at reducing gun violence.

So that leaves us on an even playing field of discussing whether or not the potential benefits are worth the potential harms. We can have an honest and good faith debate about that.

So, what do you recommend at the alternative? The do nothing approach clearly isn't working.

Great question. I think a multi-faceted approach is required, and it really depends on the problem we are trying to solve. I definitely agree that "restorative justice" approach needs to be drastically overhauled or scrapped. We need more teachers, administrators, and most of counselors across the board. We need a broader societal change to solve the underlying problems that contribute to kids behaving in these ways. I think the approach some schools have taken to require students to wear their IDs around their necks is not a bad idea...

All of those are great, but it's not easy or quick. We have to do something, and right now, SROs are a good alternative. It's not perfect, certainly, but I think SROs can be part of the solution. Everyone agrees that SROs need more training and vetting. They can do some good.

I would start with wearing IDs and increasing counselors. Both are as easy to quickly implement, or easier, than getting fulltime well-trained police officers in each school fulltime.

Should add, that as far as I know neither the IDs or the counselors are something that any research shows could have negative unintended consequences.

It also takes time to hire counselors. MCPS is already short staffed everywhere. When Elrich got rid of SROs, he put the budget towards hiring more counselors. They couldn't even fill half of the required counselors.

I like the ID card idea, but that's not foolproof either. I can forsee a lot of kids saying, "oh, I forgot it", and because there would be so many of these "I forgots", the admin/security will just let them go. Also, the IDs are tiny, and kids who used to attend but no longer do can easily try to fool the admin/security guard by using their old RMID cards. It's hard to see the year from several feet away.

But, if you are talking ID cards like you get at work, that would work better, but the background color would have to change every year. Added expense.

None of this faster than getting SROs back in the schools since we already have CEOs and previous SROs.

They would change the ID's yearly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SRO's are not wanted because they are required to involve police in matters which the school want to keep things hush hush. The more arrests, assaults, etc... the worse the school looks. Now do I think teachers and staff want them? Yes. Does administration and central? Absolutely not

This is so true. Do you know a MCPS school is not mandated to contact the police when there is a rape on campus? Right now schools are barely contacting police for things police should be contacted for.

Interesting question. CPS mandatory reporting could be involved. Title IX gets involved. But MCPS is explicitly not a crime fighting agency.

Statistically, SROs rarely of any benefit. Both Parkland and Uvalde had SROs present and that didn't help matters.

Most experts believe they actually make things worse, and their presence escalates or increases the death toll.

SROs have been criticized for not effectively addressing discipline issues and creating a negative school environment, leading to higher rates of criminalization and arrests for minor offenses, and having a limited positive impact on school safety.

It's not their job to discipline. That is the job of the administration and teachers and PARENTS.

How about all the positive things SRO's do every day. Clearly it was safer in years past with SRO's.

Tell that to Tyre Nichols. So much police violence these days. I'd hesitate to have them near my children.

So, your solution is nothing? And, you think that is safer. You can always put your kids in private, virtual or homeschool.

Not PP, but this false dichotomy is absurd. The option set is not binary. The choice is not between SROs and nothing at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SRO's are not wanted because they are required to involve police in matters which the school want to keep things hush hush. The more arrests, assaults, etc... the worse the school looks. Now do I think teachers and staff want them? Yes. Does administration and central? Absolutely not

This is so true. Do you know a MCPS school is not mandated to contact the police when there is a rape on campus? Right now schools are barely contacting police for things police should be contacted for.

Interesting question. CPS mandatory reporting could be involved. Title IX gets involved. But MCPS is explicitly not a crime fighting agency.

Statistically, SROs rarely of any benefit. Both Parkland and Uvalde had SROs present and that didn't help matters.

Most experts believe they actually make things worse, and their presence escalates or increases the death toll.

SROs have been criticized for not effectively addressing discipline issues and creating a negative school environment, leading to higher rates of criminalization and arrests for minor offenses, and having a limited positive impact on school safety.

This claim has been tossed around by the anti-police politicians of Montgomery County. The fact is, only 3% of incidents handled by or reported to SROs led to arrests. The fact is that ALL MCPS HS principals wanted to keep SROs and warned about the negative implications of removing them. The fact is many many students in particular students with no role model outside the school looked to SROs as people they could turn to. The fact is they never surveyed all students and staff who would be impacted by this change. A few politicians who don't even have kids at MCPS made this decision solely because THEY thought their opinions mattered more than the people in the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SRO's are not wanted because they are required to involve police in matters which the school want to keep things hush hush. The more arrests, assaults, etc... the worse the school looks. Now do I think teachers and staff want them? Yes. Does administration and central? Absolutely not

This is so true. Do you know a MCPS school is not mandated to contact the police when there is a rape on campus? Right now schools are barely contacting police for things police should be contacted for.

Interesting question. CPS mandatory reporting could be involved. Title IX gets involved. But MCPS is explicitly not a crime fighting agency.

Statistically, SROs rarely of any benefit. Both Parkland and Uvalde had SROs present and that didn't help matters.

Most experts believe they actually make things worse, and their presence escalates or increases the death toll.

SROs have been criticized for not effectively addressing discipline issues and creating a negative school environment, leading to higher rates of criminalization and arrests for minor offenses, and having a limited positive impact on school safety.

It's not their job to discipline. That is the job of the administration and teachers and PARENTS.

How about all the positive things SRO's do every day. Clearly it was safer in years past with SRO's.

Tell that to Tyre Nichols. So much police violence these days. I'd hesitate to have them near my children.

So, your solution is nothing? And, you think that is safer. You can always put your kids in private, virtual or homeschool.

Well, it's definitely not to put kids at higher risk with SROs especially because it's well documented they do nothing to improve safety.