In recent weeks, three shootings have taken the lives of Chicago Public Schools students, each occurring near the schools the students attended. It’s hard to imagine how, at a time when families and communities are mourning these horrific losses, the Chicago Board of Education could remove police, also called school resource officers, from schools over the objections of the elected local school council. By every measure, Chicago is facing a violent crime crisis, and our collective efforts to keep our communities and students safe are falling short.
That is why we have worked together on state legislation that would require CPS to maintain the school resource officer program for any schools that opt to participate. The bill also necessitates that the decision to participate be made at the local school council level, and that the program continue to be offered at no cost to schools. Now is not the time to remove public safety tools from our campuses.
One of us is a state representative and former school council member at a school that chose not to participate in the school resource officer program. One of us is an elected Police District Council member and current local school council chair at a school that chose to participate in the school resource officer program. Despite our different roles, we are both deeply troubled by any action to usurp the ability of local school councils to make decisions on school safety.
Local school councils were created to give residents a strong voice in their school communities, and are made up of elected individuals who are trusted to act in the best interests of each school’s student body. In our experience, members are thoughtful, dedicated individuals who are thorough and transparent in their decision-making. They are also vocal advocates for students’ learning and safety.
The collaboration between the school resource officer and school leadership at Morgan Park High School has been highlighted by CPS as a model to emulate. At Morgan Park, the school resource officers are valued members of the school community who assist with campus safety and management and act in an advisory capacity to administrators and teachers.
Officers in schools can provide help — fast
We’ve seen firsthand that school resource officers do not “police” students; they mentor them. With officers in the building, principals can avoid delays in responses to potentially dangerous or volatile situations. Unfortunately, with violence creeping further into all corners of Chicago, many schools must prepare for when gun violence happens on campus, not if gun violence happens.
Our local school councils collaborate with principals about school resource officer retention. That process has included surveys for staff, parents, and students about their perception of officers, feelings about their safety with officers in the building, and their thoughts on retaining. We are aware of no such effort from the Board of Education before making this decision – if it was done, it certainly did not include the schools we surveyed.
In 2021, police district councils were created to strengthen the relationship between the Chicago Police Department and the residents they serve. Having qualified school resource officers in schools where communities want them is a tremendous opportunity for CPS to participate in that important work. Local school councils and police district councils should not be deprived of the opportunity to work together to advance their common goals of safer schools within safer communities.
Some councils have determined that having police officers present is not the right fit for their schools. We support their right to make that decision free of interference from City Hall, just as we support the right of councils to choose to keep officers in place. Local school councils play a vital and necessary role in public education. Over the years, their authority has been consistently diminished. It’s time for City Hall bureaucrats to stop ignoring the will of the people who know what is best for their communities.
State Rep. Mary Gill of Chicago represents the 35th District. Carisa Parker is a member of the 22nd District Police Advisory Council and chair of the Morgan Park High School Local School Council.
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