(The Center Square) – Chicago Police, public high schools and city officials are discussing renewing the school resource officer program.
The program was introduced in 2019 as a collaborative effort between the Chicago Police Department and Chicago Public Schools. The program trains police officers to work in public high schools and provide victim services and protection.
The program is up for renewal for the next school year. Mayor Brandon Johnson was asked about the program coming back.
“The decision around school resource officers has been given to the authority of the local school council,” Johnson said. “What I have said repeatedly is that it is important that we recognize that our children are overwhelmingly being raised in communities where there is a great deal of trauma that has been untreated.”
As a candidate for mayor, Johnson said police have no place in schools. Wednesday, he signaled deference to local councils and said that nothing is more important than developing students.
“We have had historically very damning budgets that have harmed our special education students as well as our English language learners,” Johnson said. “It’s important that as a city, we recognize that our priorities need to be the development of a full child.”
The program requires extra training for CPD officers to deal with certain issues pertaining to students. The resource officers are required to roam the school and set up a post in the building.
Some Chicago public schools have been against the renewal of the program, and it is still undetermined if the program will be back next year. Next week, the Chicago Board of Education is expected to vote on a $10.3 million contract with CPD for the program, an increase of $180,000 from last year.
According to Chicago police statistics, overall crime is up 35% over the last 28 days.
