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 expressed opposition). Presenters emphasized that many respondents were undecided or said they did not know enough to form an opinion. - An awareness gap: many elementary and middle school students had never seen or spoken with a YSO and could not describe their role. - Appreciation for YSOs’ crisis response, threat assessment and relationship-building, with repeated requests from students and parents for more visible, consistent presence and clearer communication about YSO roles. - Specific groups—presenters called out LGBTQ+ and nonbinary students and some multilingual families—as feeling more vulnerable and warranting targeted attention and training.

Carrie Skinner summarized a gap-analysis dated Jan. 9, 2025, that recommended clearer role definitions, expanded training in trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices, enhanced accountability and structured reporting, and stronger coordination with district equity and wellness goals. “The analysis consistently indicates that youth service officers play a significant role maintaining safety and fostering positive school climates,” Skinner said.

Community voices cited in the meeting

Several building leaders spoke in favor of continuing the YSO program and described day-to-day benefits. Maria Copeland, Building Administrator at Southridge High School, said students value relationship-building with YSOs and singled out one officer, Officer Balderas, as bilingual, relatable and active in school mentoring: “If any cops come near me, it has to be Officer Balderas,” she said, quoting a student’s remark. Meadow Park Middle School Principal Joanna Castillo described continuity with Officer Dunn and said immediate response and knowing whom to contact during an incident improved safety and parent communication.

Concerns and unanswered questions raised by board members

Board members welcomed the breadth of the outreach but repeatedly raised concerns about representativeness and transparency. Several members, including Ogana and Susan, questioned whether the district had sufficiently captured the views of marginalized communities and families who might be most affected by police presence in schools. Ogana said that if survey results mirror district demographics, they may conceal differing experiences: “If the survey reflects the demography of our district, then therein lies our problem,” Ogana said, arguing that some students of color and other groups might not feel safe.

Members also pressed for clearer incident and arrest reporting from law enforcement partners. Board member Carpenter asked about a reporting requirement in the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) that calls for regular reporting on incidents in which law enforcement was involved; district staff said prior presentations (including a Jan. 17, 2024 police briefing) covered arrests and that the Beaverton Police Department has worked with the district on an incident dashboard but has not publicly posted juvenile arrest details because of juvenile privacy laws. Staff noted some inconsistency in the IGA text (the document referenced both quarterly and semester reporting in different places) and said they would clarify reporting cadence and seek any available data for the board before the May decision.

Costs, alternatives and operational details

Staff reviewed program costs and alternatives. The presentation discussed two alternative models used elsewhere: Boulder Valley School District (which absorbed school safety staff as district employees and funded the shift through its general fund) and Minneapolis Public Schools (a regional model assigning safety specialists to multiple schools). Staff said the Beaverton Police Department agreed to freeze any IGA cost increases for the coming year to help district budget planning.

The district also said its public safety office handles screening and background checks for volunteers and contractors—about 18,000–20,000 checks annually—and that the YSO partnership supports investigative capacity for social-media or other out-of-hours threats. Staff reported about a dozen incidents this school year that rose to the level requiring thorough investigative follow-up; presenters described at least one case in which a tip received via the Oregon tip line led to rapid intervention and allowed school to open the next day.

Staff recommendations and next steps

Presenters emphasized continuing the program while pursuing improvements: clarifying YSO roles and restrictions, increasing training (including equity and cultural-response training), improving communication with students and families, building YSO diversity, and ensuring consistent coverage rather than ad-hoc assignments. The board was told staff would return in May with materials if the board wishes to seek approval to extend the IGAs with Washington County and the Beaverton Police Department.

No formal board vote was taken during the April 22 work session. The district’s next step is to provide the board with requested clarifications—including incident/arrest reporting, IGA language consistency and additional disaggregated outreach data—ahead of the May meeting when the board may vote on extension of the agreements.

Ending

The work session closed with the board scheduling follow-up: staff will provide additional data and a clarified proposal in May so the board can consider whether to continue, revise or discontinue its YSO agreements.