Laguna Beach students urge council to keep female school resource officer amid rotation policy

Hundreds of students, parents and school staff pressed the Laguna Beach City Council to preserve a female school resource officer (SRO) at Laguna Beach High School during a two-hour public-comment block. Students said the planned four‑year rotation that will move Officer Ashley Crotine out of the campus risks silencing victims of sexual harassment and assault who are more likely to report to women.

The appeals came during the meeting’s public comment period, where students and educators described personal experiences and presented survey results estimating how many female students would feel uncomfortable reporting to a male officer. “You cannot preach student safety and strip us of the one person who makes us feel safe,” student Ruby Sampson told the council. Several other students and staff offered specific examples of situations in which Officer Crotine’s presence…