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Community raises concerns about school resource officers; district schedules town halls on safety
Summary
After public comments opposing a district‑wide resumption of school resource officers and raising immigration‑related privacy concerns, the superintendent announced a series of town‑hall meetings to gather input on safety measures, including the proposed SRO model.
Public speakers at the March 27 board meeting urged caution about restarting a district‑wide school resource officer (SRO) program and asked trustees to consider alternatives focused on counseling and mental‑health services.
Several speakers warned that police presence on campus could generate records that federal agencies might obtain and potentially use against immigrant families. "By restarting the SRO program, you will be inviting someone who will create a stream of evidence that federal agencies can, and given all current trends, likely will weaponize against students and families from our immigrant community," said public commenter Ethan Ireland.
River City teachers and staff also raised concerns about process and community engagement. River City teacher Dr. Amber Bradley said staff had little notice of a single district town hall and criticized a district survey as biased: "SROs don't stop school shootings," Bradley said, adding that research shows investment in services and resources, not policing, correlates with safer school communities.
Superintendent Hildreth said the district will hold a series of town halls and review community input before any hiring decisions. The schedule announced at the meeting included in‑person and virtual sessions for classified staff, certificated staff and parents in early April, and district officials said a consultant would facilitate the sessions. The board did not take action on the SRO proposal at the meeting.
Trustees said they wanted more time and community input before deciding whether to hire an SRO or pursue other safety investments. Several public speakers and staff urged the board to prioritize counselors, social workers and mental‑health services over an SRO program.
