MPS still lacks school resource officers; deadline past due
MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin’s largest school district is nine months late in implementing the state requirement for the district to return police to schools.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson says he supports bringing them back.
"We need to get it done as quickly as possible. That’s what I would like to see. The city isn’t the one holding this up. We want to get it done," said Mayor Johnson.
In 2020, the district’s school board fully ended the contract with police. But, state law in June 2023 ordered them back.
Milwaukee Police
The bipartisan shared revenue act gave MPS six months to bring back 25 school resource officers by January 2024; nine months later, those cops still aren’t there. Johnson was a lead negotiator on the overall bill.
"At my direction and at the chief’s leadership, the city has been working tirelessly in order that we hold up our end of the bargain here, so any holdup is not on behalf of the city," added Johnson. "We want to get this done. I think our partners at Milwaukee Public Schools want to get it done, too. We need them to press on so we can actually get it done."
The MPS interim superintendent and the police chief have both responded to questions about the delay.
"We’re still continuing to talk," said Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman.
"We’re working every day to make that happen," said MPS Interim Superintendent Eduardo Galvan. "The delays are simply a matter of, when we’re talking about organizations that need to work together…This is something that we hadn’t planned on having to do. We were told we have to do it. We will do it. The board is on track with that as well."
This discussion is part of a larger debate over school resource officer programs.
"The research to date shows that police in schools don’t make schools safer, and they do come with negative consequences around increased rates of suspension of students, especially black students," said University of Wisconsin Associate Professor Ben Fisher.
"Our role is not to discipline students. It is to create an environment to build rapport between the police officer, not the uniform, but the person inside that uniform, with the students and build trust that can see these officers in a different light than they might see in our community," said Mac Hardy from the National Association of School Resource Officers.
"That’s proactive policing, because I understand when a student strays under stress, or has other types of problems, and we can deal with those before it gets to the point where they feel no other alternative than to act out," added Hardy.
"I think we can do a lot more effective work fostering strong relationships with teachers and other staff, building a sense of community among students, a sense of belonging and caring about the school. I think those things are going to go a lot further in helping avoid problematic student behavior," said Fisher.
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In Georgia, police say they responded within minutes to the Apalachee High School shooting. School resource officers were stationed inside.
Two students and two teachers were shot and killed on Sept. 4.
"We can’t say if those officers being inside the school saved any more lives, but there’s a great possibility that they did, because they were there quickly," said Hardy. "They were there as quick as anybody could be."
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School resource officers missing from Milwaukee Public Schools
Milwaukee Public Schools students went to class for the start of school year on Tuesday, Sept. 3. But school resource officers did not despite a state requirement.