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Harrisburg superintendent pauses plan for district police force, calls for community safety plan
Summary
Superintendent announced a pause on establishing a Harrisburg City School District police department to allow the district time to ensure sustainable 5‑year funding and to collaborate with safety monitors, staff and the community on alternatives.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Harrisburg City School District on April 8 paused plans to create a district police department while officials develop a longer-range funding and community-engagement plan, Superintendent Dr. Henry said at a Committee of the Whole meeting.
Dr. Henry said the proposal — originally brought forward by a predecessor two years ago — was examined in recent months but will be held for now so the district can ‘‘responsibly fund such an initiative over a sustainable five-year period.’' She said the pause is not a retreat from prioritizing student safety but an opportunity to strengthen collaboration with safety monitors, school leaders and the community.
Receiver Dr. Suske told the board the district already maintains a memorandum of understanding with the Harrisburg Bureau of Police and said that state school code requires an MOU. He also cautioned that if the district moves to exit receivership, state rules could bar the district from entering new initiatives for five years after exit, making near-term large new programs impractical.
Board members and staff discussed alternative steps the district can take while the police proposal is paused: establish a community advisory or task force, refine the existing MOU to emphasize positive engagement instead of enforcement, and look at compensation or support for current safety monitors. Several board members said safety monitors have expressed concern about pay and stability, and urged the district to address those workforce issues before any new policing model is adopted.
A number of board members also urged wider community meetings to build trust with municipal police if the district later pursues closer collaboration, citing recent community events and distrust that could hinder such a plan. Administration said community-police partnerships and school-based community policing activities (for example, police reading programs) are already in place in some schools.
No formal vote was taken; the superintendent asked staff to develop a safety plan and to continue engagement with safety monitors and community stakeholders, and the board agreed to continue discussion in future meetings.
