Burlington School Board Seeks Community Feedback On School Resource Officer Program

From the Burlington School District:

June 22, 2020

The Burlington School Board is reviewing the position of School Resource Officers (SROs) within Burlington’s schools and is seeking the input of students, parents, staff and the community.

As our country and local community deals with the recent events and increasing calls for social justice, there have been proposals to eliminate the SRO positions. The School Board is taking up this matter, with the goal of making a recommendation to Mayor Weinberger and the Burlington City Council on or before June 29th, when the City Council expects to vote on the city budget.

The US Department Of Justice defines School Resource Officers as “sworn law enforcement officers responsible for safety and crime prevention in schools.” There are currently two SROs that operate within the district. One is dedicated to Burlington High School and the other splits their time between Edmunds Middle School and Hunt Middle School; both occasionally work with the elementary schools. Their responsibilities and duties are governed by a 2015 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Burlington School District and the Burlington Police Department. SROs are currently funded out of the Police Department budget.

The board wants the input of students, families, staff and the entire community to inform our decision-making, and is providing three opportunities for feedback:

• The School Board’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee meets via Zoom on Tuesday June 23 at 6:30 p.m. There will be an opportunity to provide public comment, limited to two minutes per person. The agenda and link to attend the meeting via computer or phone can be found at https://bit.ly/37LjUY2.
• The full School Board will meet via Zoom on Thursday June 25 at 6:00 p.m. There will be an opportunity to provide public comment, limited to two minutes per person. Additionally, in order to allow time for the board to deliberate and come to a decision, public comment will be limited to 60 minutes total. Details and the agenda for this meeting are still pending, but when finalized can be found on BoardDocs http://bit.ly/3cVVYU2
• You may also provide written input to the board by filling out a Google survey: https://bit.ly/3ewFt0U This survey will close on Thursday June 25 at 10:00 a.m. in order to give School Board commissioners the time to read all responses in advance of the Board meeting that evening.

The Burlington School Board wants to make an informed decision about this important matter, and your voice is important.

This press release was produced by the Burlington School District . The views expressed here are the author’s own.