MPS school resource officer requirement; district faces pressure
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Police Association is putting pressure on Milwaukee Public Schools to get officers back in the building. School starts on Tuesday, Sept. 3 – and lawmakers say the school district is breaking the law.
Police officers were pulled from MPS schools in 2016 but patrolled school grounds outside until 2020. That was supposed to change this year under state law, but it has not happened.
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"We don’t know where the status of this is," said MPA President Alexander Ayala.
Ayala said student safety is at risk. He hopes MPS will implement school resources officers again.
Milwaukee police squad parked outside Bradley Tech High School
"I think this is a problem," he said. "We have another incident that happened at Vincent High School, and they’re calling it a riot and over 50 students are fighting, and this happened in March of this year."
Ayala said, from August 2022 to December 2022, there were almost 1,700 calls for police to MPS schools. And those calls aren't slowing down.
"That is officers that are taken off the streets – trying to address violent crimes, carjackings and shootings – to respond to the school," he said.
Milwaukee police at MPS school
Act 12 requirement
That was supposed to change this year. Wisconsin lawmakers signed a shared revenue bill, Act 12, in 2023. The bill requires MPS to hire at least 25 school resource officers by Jan. 1, 2024. Ayala said those positions have not been posted.
"I never in a million years, when we put this provision into the shared revenue package, thought that they could just break the law. I don’t know what the repercussions are," said State Sen. John Jagler (R-Watertown). "The kids aren’t safe because of it."
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Jagler wrote a letter to the school board, asking about MPS' plans on how it will follow the mandate. FOX6 News asked interim MPS Superintendent Eduardo Galvano on Tuesday.
"We can’t hire police. We don’t employ the police, so we’re working with our partners and stakeholders to make sure we’re moving forward," he said.
MPD said it has been in communication with MPS to fulfill the requirement in a manner that best meets the needs of the community, but didn't get specific on what that means.
The school board is meeting on Thursday. The topic is on the agenda.
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MPD statement:
The Milwaukee Police Department has been in communication with Milwaukee Public Schools on fulfilling the school resource officer requirement in a manner that best meets the needs of our community. MPD anticipates a collaborative positive partnership with MPS and its students.