Articles Tagged: School resource officers

Cedar Rapids School District and Cedar Rapids police officials are optimistic about the impact of contract changes made last summer for school resource officers — despite an increase in student arrests.

Racial justice advocates dive in to juvenile justice system data at Suspended Summit in Cedar Rapids on Friday.

With the school year already underway, the council’s vote ends a monthslong debate between city and school district officials over the presence of school resource officers mainly in middle schools.

“That's the best we could do as a council,” Mayor O’Donnell says after the school board declined the city’s offers to negotiate to keep the two additional school resource officers or to meet to discuss the program.

“It’s not logical to assume that five SROs will be able to do the work of seven,” the police chief said. City officials say changes account for the workload 5 instead of 7 SROs can handle after the school district removed them from middle schools.

Recap of news from across the state

Cedar Rapids school board president David Tominsky said the school board is not considering changing their decision on a contract for school resource officers after the mayor offered for the city to fund an additional two officers for middle schools.

Cedar Rapids school board votes to reduce the number of school resource officers in schools from seven to five

As a vote approaches on the school district’s school resource officer agreement with the Cedar Rapids police, the school board agreed to prioritize convening community stakeholders to identify solutions addressing the root causes to behavioral issues in schools.

As some school board members question whether police in schools promote a safer learning environment, city officials are unanimous in their backing of school resource officers. The school board has a work session Wednesday to guide its impending vote on school resource officers.

Council and school district proposals differ on keeping police in middle schools. “If we were ever going to be accused of overprotecting, overspending, wouldn’t we do it for our kids?” Mayor O’Donnell said as the council OK’d a new contract for school resource officers.

Black students are 3.36 times more likely to be charged than white students in Cedar Rapids schools.

At Cedar Rapids school board meeting, school resource officer says officers are diverting more charges by requiring students to write an essay or sign up for counseling.

Both the Cedar Rapids school board and City Council have now signed off on changes to the school resource officer program in an effort to reduce arrests and racial disparities.

Board member Dexter Merschbrock said the amended agreement is a “good first step” but said the board needs to be intentional about reviewing data about the program monthly, which will be provided as a part of the contract.