I’m a teacher and I don’t want schools to get rid of the school resource officer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But imagine what your school could do with training, hiring more social workers, more teachers for smaller classes and more skills appropriate remediation, more space, more extra curriculars to make school interesting, more edible foods. The Mayor of LA was talking about reducing millions off the Police budget and it Would not make a dent. Seattle is proposing an 11 million dollar increase to the police budget for next year (wel, was before this). Albany (I think) announced cutting its SRO contract - at 1 million dollars. Can you imagine what your school could do with it a share of 1 million, 11 million, 44 million dollars??

And imagine if kids and families experiencing trauma or mental health concerns had community resources they could access (instead of a 7 month wait for kids who have already attempted suicide once to be seen regularly by a mental health service). And imagine if there was not food instability or housing instability or other family stresses. How would kids show up to school then? Again, what could homeless youth services do with 1 million or 11 million dollars.

And then you would actually just get to teach.

Money won’t solve all of this. I’m in my late 20s and my kid is very going. So my experiences are recent. The high school I attended added wrap-around social services as my 6-12th years went on. A medical clinic onsite, free dentist once a month at the schools, free clothing, free breakfast and lunch for ALL students, sports participation must be free, room of free school supplies, free coffee and crap snacks as you enter the school, and a sex counselor. And many more. It certainly hasn’t improved the school’s academic performance in the slightest, but take the services away and the kids will be at a great loss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But imagine what your school could do with training, hiring more social workers, more teachers for smaller classes and more skills appropriate remediation, more space, more extra curriculars to make school interesting, more edible foods. The Mayor of LA was talking about reducing millions off the Police budget and it Would not make a dent. Seattle is proposing an 11 million dollar increase to the police budget for next year (wel, was before this). Albany (I think) announced cutting its SRO contract - at 1 million dollars. Can you imagine what your school could do with it a share of 1 million, 11 million, 44 million dollars??

And imagine if kids and families experiencing trauma or mental health concerns had community resources they could access (instead of a 7 month wait for kids who have already attempted suicide once to be seen regularly by a mental health service). And imagine if there was not food instability or housing instability or other family stresses. How would kids show up to school then? Again, what could homeless youth services do with 1 million or 11 million dollars.

And then you would actually just get to teach.

Money won’t solve all of this. I’m in my late 20s and my kid is very going. So my experiences are recent. The high school I attended added wrap-around social services as my 6-12th years went on. A medical clinic onsite, free dentist once a month at the schools, free clothing, free breakfast and lunch for ALL students, sports participation must be free, room of free school supplies, free coffee and crap snacks as you enter the school, and a sex counselor. And many more. It certainly hasn’t improved the school’s academic performance in the slightest, but take the services away and the kids will be at a great loss.

Sometimes you don’t see the pay off in grades 6-12. Sometimes, you see them in the 21 year old who learned anger management seven years ago and is able to self-advocate at work with his words instead of his fists. Sometimes, you see them in the 24 year old who is still reading at a 7th grade level, but reads to her one year old son so that he has that crucial engagement with language she missed out on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aaaaand this is why my kids go to private school.

Why don’t you work to find solutions that aren’t cops.

Private schools have security too.

Yeah and they don’t school-to-prison pipeline our kids.

I hope your kids turn out more enlightened and less of an a$$ than you.

You're an ass for realizing that not everyone has this option and your response is tone deaf.

My response (to the teacher who fears dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline) that I will do whatever I can to protect my biracial kids from the school-to-prison pipeline is tone deaf? Ok.

It's like your are sitting and hiding in a bush and push out your kids who are biracial. All kids need to be protected. What's their race?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aaaaand this is why my kids go to private school.

Why don’t you work to find solutions that aren’t cops.

Private schools have security too.

Yeah and they don’t school-to-prison pipeline our kids.

I hope your kids turn out more enlightened and less of an a$$ than you.

You're an ass for realizing that not everyone has this option and your response is tone deaf.

My response (to the teacher who fears dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline) that I will do whatever I can to protect my biracial kids from the school-to-prison pipeline is tone deaf? Ok.

It's like your are sitting and hiding in a bush and push out your kids who are biracial. All kids need to be protected. What's their race?

DO. wTF does that mean? I have worked in public schools over 20 years. I’ve never seen a white or Asian child handcuffed. I have seen overzealous SROs restrain sobbing black and biracial boys under age 12 who did not do physical harm to anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The idea would not be for the teacher to step in where the SRO used to be. The idea is to bring a variety of other professional resources to bear, mostly to prevent the problems in the first place but also to resolve problems in a non-violent or less violent manner. It's not out of reach -- how many of us grew up with cops in our schools? Not me, and yet there were few fights. Many believe the attitude that these kids are dangerous criminals who will fight if a cop is not present, is part of why the school environment has changed since we were young.

Our SROs have never reacted in a violent manner - at least not that I’ve heard of. And they are very friendly with the kids. They always say good morning to the kids, chat and even joke around. I’m not sure why people think SROs are gruff with the students. From what I’ve seen they definitely try to build relationships with the kids. But my school is on an area with a lot of gang activity and we have caught students with weapons at schools, so I feel really uncomfortable about the prospect of losing them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But imagine what your school could do with training, hiring more social workers, more teachers for smaller classes and more skills appropriate remediation, more space, more extra curriculars to make school interesting, more edible foods. The Mayor of LA was talking about reducing millions off the Police budget and it Would not make a dent. Seattle is proposing an 11 million dollar increase to the police budget for next year (wel, was before this). Albany (I think) announced cutting its SRO contract - at 1 million dollars. Can you imagine what your school could do with it a share of 1 million, 11 million, 44 million dollars??

And imagine if kids and families experiencing trauma or mental health concerns had community resources they could access (instead of a 7 month wait for kids who have already attempted suicide once to be seen regularly by a mental health service). And imagine if there was not food instability or housing instability or other family stresses. How would kids show up to school then? Again, what could homeless youth services do with 1 million or 11 million dollars.

And then you would actually just get to teach.

Money won’t solve all of this. I’m in my late 20s and my kid is very going. So my experiences are recent. The high school I attended added wrap-around social services as my 6-12th years went on. A medical clinic onsite, free dentist once a month at the schools, free clothing, free breakfast and lunch for ALL students, sports participation must be free, room of free school supplies, free coffee and crap snacks as you enter the school, and a sex counselor. And many more. It certainly hasn’t improved the school’s academic performance in the slightest, but take the services away and the kids will be at a great loss.

Sometimes you don’t see the pay off in grades 6-12. Sometimes, you see them in the 21 year old who learned anger management seven years ago and is able to self-advocate at work with his words instead of his fists. Sometimes, you see them in the 24 year old who is still reading at a 7th grade level, but reads to her one year old son so that he has that crucial engagement with language she missed out on.

I’m the one who posted about the wrap around services in my high school. I completely agree with what you are saying. Some people expect these services to result in immediate, traditional academic performance, which is not realistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea would not be for the teacher to step in where the SRO used to be. The idea is to bring a variety of other professional resources to bear, mostly to prevent the problems in the first place but also to resolve problems in a non-violent or less violent manner. It's not out of reach -- how many of us grew up with cops in our schools? Not me, and yet there were few fights. Many believe the attitude that these kids are dangerous criminals who will fight if a cop is not present, is part of why the school environment has changed since we were young.

Our SROs have never reacted in a violent manner - at least not that I’ve heard of. And they are very friendly with the kids. They always say good morning to the kids, chat and even joke around. I’m not sure why people think SROs are gruff with the students. From what I’ve seen they definitely try to build relationships with the kids. But my school is on an area with a lot of gang activity and we have caught students with weapons at schools, so I feel really uncomfortable about the prospect of losing them.

People think that because they have had or witnessed bad experiences with SROs. We had one that escalated every interaction with black boys and Latinas. It was clear who she had an issue with. We got rid of her after she called a female identifying Latina tomboy that she thought was trans the f-word. But she was allowed to stay though the rest of the school year.

[Anonymous]

I went to a rough high school in 2000. I saw SO many fights and would not have felt safe if there weren't multiple police officers on duty. I saw knifings monthly and kid's heads get beat into poles. I'm a shy, small female and I was jumped by a group of girls too. On my first day of school as a freshman, another girl showed me her switchblade and how proud she was of it. I knew a teacher who had her arm broken. Don't the victims and the other students like me get a say?

I think the major problem at my school was gangs and drugs. Drugs were everywhere. The pot smoke was thick in bathrooms and there were gang signs graffitied on school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a rough high school in 2000. I saw SO many fights and would not have felt safe if there weren't multiple police officers on duty. I saw knifings monthly and kid's heads get beat into poles. I'm a shy, small female and I was jumped by a group of girls too. On my first day of school as a freshman, another girl showed me her switchblade and how proud she was of it. I knew a teacher who had her arm broken. Don't the victims and the other students like me get a say?

I think the major problem at my school was gangs and drugs. Drugs were everywhere. The pot smoke was thick in bathrooms and there were gang signs graffitied on school.

Same. At my high school, a boy dragging a girl by the hair on the concrete just outside the school. And then he stomped on her body. The stories I have...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People aren't thinking this through. I am a social worker and no way I'd go to some houses without police.

Are you worried about attacks from 11 year olds?

PP - You seriously can't be that dense?? Are you a kid posting as an adult?

First of all, they are afraid of the adults in the house who are (mostly) not in control parents or have a seriously problem kid or both- thus SOCIAL SERVICES IS HAVING TO COME TO YOUR HOUSE. Second of all, yes, some 11 year olds can be incredibly violent and dangerous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But imagine what your school could do with training, hiring more social workers, more teachers for smaller classes and more skills appropriate remediation, more space, more extra curriculars to make school interesting, more edible foods. The Mayor of LA was talking about reducing millions off the Police budget and it Would not make a dent. Seattle is proposing an 11 million dollar increase to the police budget for next year (wel, was before this). Albany (I think) announced cutting its SRO contract - at 1 million dollars. Can you imagine what your school could do with it a share of 1 million, 11 million, 44 million dollars??

And imagine if kids and families experiencing trauma or mental health concerns had community resources they could access (instead of a 7 month wait for kids who have already attempted suicide once to be seen regularly by a mental health service). And imagine if there was not food instability or housing instability or other family stresses. How would kids show up to school then? Again, what could homeless youth services do with 1 million or 11 million dollars.

And then you would actually just get to teach.

You are pretty naive if you think reducing on SRO position is going to result in the hiring of additional social workers (MD has none), additional teachers, and renovated buildings. While i’m in favor of it, it’s likely that removing a SRO
Will result on n teachers going to day of training on how to de-escalate a situation. Obviously not sufficient.

[Anonymous]

Most of you clearly don't have HS kids. SRO absolutely needed in every single MCPS HS. They do so much, including getting to know the kids so that they don't jump to conclusuons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In some areas, schools are discussing the idea of getting rid of their school resources officers (school based cops) I teach at a pretty rough school and have had to call for security a few times in response to fights breaking out between my students. Who would handle these situations if they get rid of the SRO’s? Do they really expect teachers to get in the middle of fights between 16-18 year old males, some of whom are quite large. I also am afraid that their will be more incidents of fighting if there was no longer any security. I haven’t heard that my district is considering this, but I’m worried that this might actually become an idea that spreads.

I've worked at schools where security are school district employees, and where they are SRO's. I prefer the former, so my preference would be to have schools hire and train their own employees, and develop their expertise in the age group, and make them part of the school culture.

I agree that there continues to need to be security in the building. I just don't agree that police are the people to provide that security.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools will still have security. SROs are only needed if you are arresting students on a regular basis. If that’s happening, your school is not meeting the needs to students and probably needs to be completely restructured. I also taught in a tough HS. Our security built relationships with students and the students would warn them when there was something big going down. We only needed our SRO when a man entered the school off the street looking for his wife.

That's about the dumbest thing I've heard this week.

[Anonymous]

How about instead of relying on militarized tactics, schools emphasize community building, mentorship, ongoing mediation, mindfulness, etc.?

I am also a teacher, btw.