Parent urges immediate school resource officer at River City High, questions canine searches and timeline

Ruth Pagano Tramm, a parent of students at River City High School and Southport, told the Washington Unified board during general public comment that the district should "have a school resource officer on the River City High School campus as soon as possible." She said she collected 445 signatures on a petition in one week and asked the board to accelerate the timeline for the SRO program.

Pagano Tramm also raised concerns about using narcotics detection dogs on campus. "Does anyone know how those dogs work? We don't have lockers at River City, so that means backpack searches, classroom searches, vehicle searches, person searches," she said, arguing that canines running through classrooms while students and staff are present raises privacy and safety questions. She urged the board to prioritize drug-prevention education and vaping prevention "before any dogs come on campus."

On other campus safety issues, she called for ensuring students could use bathrooms "without fear" and asked the district to investigate reasons staff are leaving classrooms, echoing other speakers who have called for exit interviews and better retention efforts.

Why it matters: The parent petition and public remarks put pressure on board members to clarify SRO timelines and planned safety measures at a high school with an active newcomer and multilingual student population.

Board response and next steps

Board members listened but did not take action during public comment. Trustees later asked staff for updates on the SRO program and on other safety measures; no formal vote or policy change was recorded during the meeting.