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.
Cedar Rapids middle schools will have no school-designated, full-time police officers if a revised 28E Agreement between the school district and city of Cedar Rapids is approved later this month.
Police objected to officer removals from McKinley and Roosevelt
Police will not be involved in enforcing school rules or discipline, among other recommendations, which school officials hope will reduce the number of arrests and charges filed of all students by 50 percent or more.
The police department presented data to the school board as the future of the program that places officers in seven Cedar Rapids district schools is being weighed.
The Cedar Rapids district says change is coming before 2021-2022 school year starts to address data showing racial disparities in allegations made against students
Black students in the Cedar Rapids district are far more likely to have allegations of criminal wrongdoing made against them than are white students -- and the disparity has been worsening,
Kennedy High School twin sisters -- who are advocating for the removal of school resource officers from the school district and for classes to include more Black history, literature and art -- are proud of themselves for speaking up for equity, but say they are ready to leave the “racial trauma” they experienced in Cedar Rapids’ schools behind after they graduated this week.
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