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Parents urge limits on armed SROs as Stoughton board begins contract talks with police
Summary
Public commenters asked the Stoughton Area School District board to require that any school resource officer (SRO) be unarmed on campus, receive restorative-justice training, be subject to board approval and be hired on a one-year contract; district staff said formal contract talks with the police chief will begin in March.
Public commentators urged the Stoughton Area School District Board of Education not to finalize a school resource officer (SRO) contract without strict conditions, and district staff told the board formal discussions with the Stoughton Police Department are starting in March.
In a written comment read into the record, Nicole Monahan urged the board not to move forward with an SRO contract and listed conditions the board should require if it proceeds. “The SRO should not be permitted to carry a weapon while on campus,” Monahan wrote. She also asked that any SRO have restorative-justice training, that the board have final say in the officer selected, and that contracts be limited to one year with a public meeting about the contract.
Board members and district staff said the superintendent had met with the police chief the afternoon of the meeting to begin aligning on next steps. A district administrator told the board the chief has been collecting contract samples from other Dane County districts and that formal conversations are scheduled to begin in early March.
Board members asked whether hiring an SRO would change costs the district currently incurs for police presence at events such as homecoming and football games. A district administrator said an SRO could potentially reduce some event costs depending on contractual terms and how the officer’s duties are scheduled; it would not necessarily eliminate all event-related police costs.
What happened next: The district will continue contract conversations with the police chief and present updates to the board in March. No final contract was approved at Tuesday’s meeting.
Why it matters: The public’s requests and the early-stage talks with the police department show the board is weighing both safety and equity concerns as it considers whether and how to contract an SRO.
