Some School Districts Say ‘Yes’ to SROs
By Dan Murphy
Should police officers be patrolling our school districts? Would our children be safer with school resource officers, who are police officers designated by their departments to serve in their community school districts, protecting their safety and preventing a tragedy?
As students across the 42 Westchester school districts head back to school next week, the Chappaqua and New Rochelle school districts have different views on SROs in their schools. The Chappaqua School District has asked for and will receive SRO support from the New Castle Police Department.
“The Chappaqua Central School District, under the leadership of Superintendent Christine Ackerman, did a thorough process to arrive at a decision that I believe is widely supported by the community,” said New Castle Supervisor Robert Greenstein, who commented on an agreement between the district and the NCPD. “I certainly support it, as does New Castle Police.”
Greenstein has been a supporter of increased gun safety legislation and has supported rallies in northern Westchester for gun reform, and has urged New York’s two U.S. senators to support additional gun safety legislation.
Greenstein’s views, which are supported by the vast majority of Westchester residents, included comments in one of his newsletters to town residents earlier this year, which said that New Castle police officers already “visit each school daily and increase patrols during times of heightened concerns.”
In New Rochelle, many residents expressed opposition to having SROs in their schools. The New Rochelle School Board voted 8-1 against SROs, based on concerns from many in the community that having armed security in their schools is a bad idea, regardless of whether they are police officers.
The decision of the school board comes after a task force called for armed security and more enforcement of a closed campus policy. New Rochelle School District Interim Superintendent Laura Feijoo wrote a letter to the community that stated: “The presence of SROs will not create the sense of a safe environment for many individuals and are not a guarantee of effective security. There are more proven means of improving campus safety, which include enhanced security guard training as well as using the most up-to-date security features in school buildings, classroom spaces and grounds.”
School board member Christopher Daniello, who is also a New York Police Department officer, was the only vote in favor of SROs. “If you put in an officer as an SRO in the school, not every student is going to say ‘Hello’ to him every day, but he’s there day after day and says ‘Hello.’ And slowly those bridges are made,” he said. “Those gaps are filled.”
Opposition to SROs in New Rochelle schools also came from members of the African-American community, based on a continued fear of being targeted.
“Law enforcement presence disproportionately and negatively impacts Hispanic and African-American males,” said the Rev. Mark McLean. “I know from my experience as a young black man in the projects, I was routinely stalked by law enforcement. It’s just part of life. Schools have always been a safe haven where you didn’t have to interact with police.”
Many members of the Latino and African-American community also expressed opposition to the hiring of Feijoo as interim superintendent after it was learned that in her prior position in New York City Schools, she was fired and then sued School Chancellor Richard Carranza for $90 million, claiming she was fired in favor of someone less qualified and a person of color.
McLean said the stabbing death of New Rochelle student Valaree Schwab last year resulted in the firing of high school principal Reggie Richardson and Assistant Superintendent Joe Williams, both African-Americans, and that Feijoo’s hiring and the two firings point to “anti-diversity” behavior, which should not be what New Rochelle is about.
“It’s all connected because of the tragic death of (Schwab),” said McLean, who is also a member of The Collective, made up of parents and community leaders opposed to the direction of recent hirings and firings in New Rochelle schools, and opposed to SROs. “That was a catalyst that caused the purging of senior African-American administrators, and influential in bringing the type of person they brought in, who is a poster child for anti-diversity behavior. You hire her and put her in charge – that message is not subtle. It’s bold. It’s strong. And it’s a negative message to the communities in New Rochelle.”
They have asked for Feijoo not to be hired as permanent superintendent, which would be effective Nov. 1.
Last year the Westchester County Department of Public Safety provided county police officers to serve as SROs in the Lakeland and Hendrick Hudson school districts, at the request of the districts. The County Board of Legislators approved the request by a 16-0 vote.
“The SROs are critical positions in our schools that provide community policing benefits for children and law enforcement,” wrote four republican county legislators who supported the item, with the school districts paying for the SRO positions during the school year and the officers assigned to patrol the county parks in the summer. “Establishing familiarity and trust with law enforcement at an early age is especially important for kids who are at risk. SRO activities include deescalating potentially violent situations in an emergency, preventing and investigating criminal activities, preventing juvenile delinquency, working with educators and administrators on programs to prevent drug abuse and, most importantly, to serve as a role model and source of positive input and mentoring to our youth.”
The Somers School District has also taken advantage of the County SRO program.
“The school districts will have these officers when they need them, and the county will have these officers when we need them,” said County Executive George Latimer. “It’s a great fit for everyone involved.”
The expanded program came last year after school district officials approached county officials following the tragic school shooting in February at Stoneham Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Recently, two additional mass shootings have taken place, in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas.
