Beaverton board reviews youth service officer program after districtwide survey; extension decision due in May

The Beaverton School Board on April 22 reviewed a district study of its Youth Services Officer (YSO) program and directed staff to return in May with materials to seek approval for extending intergovernmental agreements with law enforcement partners.

The report, presented by Dr. Steve Patty, a strategic consultant, Carrie Skinner, the district’s public safety administrator, and other staff, summarized nearly 16,000 survey responses and interviews. “There is overwhelming and consistent approval and support for having YSOs in schools,” Dr. Steve Patty told the board, while also reporting a strong awareness gap among younger students and notable reservations among some families and staff.

Why it matters: The board must balance widespread positive feedback reported in the review—particularly about threat assessment, crisis response and relationship-building—with concerns raised by board members and community participants about whether the district heard the voices of those most affected. The district will consider a possible contract extension with the Beaverton Police Department and Washington County partners at the board’s May meeting.

What the district presented

District staff said the review combined a large annual survey (more than 10,500 student responses) with focused interviews and group sessions involving students, parents, administrators and staff. Presenters reported almost 16,000 total engagements across surveys and interviews.

Key findings staff flagged included: - High overall support among respondents who expressed an opinion, with students who supported YSOs reported at roughly 22–25% and a small percentage explicitly opposed (reporting in the presentation: about 4% elementary, 3% middle and 4% high-school students opposed; 10% of parents and 8.5% of staff…