Board hears draft SRO MOU and SOPs; plan targets Aug. 2026 start with student training, selection and oversight provisions

Charlottesville City Schools staff and police liaisons briefed the board on Nov. 6 on draft standing operating procedures (SOP) and a revised memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a school resource officer program scheduled for implementation in August 2026.

"The MOU establishes the high level scope, goals, and principles of our collaboration between Charlottesville City Schools and the Charlottesville Police Department," Dr. Johnson said, summarizing revisions based on stakeholder feedback gathered from students, staff and the community. The SOP, published Oct. 23 as a living document, provides operational detail on officer selection, training, daily responsibilities and coordination with school care and safety assistants (CSAs).

Dr. Johnson highlighted elements drawn from community input: a selection process that will include students, staff and parents; a required training suite for SROs and CSAs (mental-health and crisis intervention, de-escalation, implicit bias, restorative justice and cultural competency); and a matrix in the SOP clarifying situations where SROs should and should not engage. The SOP and MOU both stress that SROs should not be used for routine school-discipline enforcement and that SRO engagement in non-emergency incidents will ordinarily be at the direction of school administrators.

Student survey results presented to the board showed mixed views: the majority of students did not rate SROs as a pressing issue, while a notable minority expressed concern about firearms on campus and requested officer training in youth mental health and de-escalation. Dr. Johnson said the working group added CSAs from Walker, Charlottesville Middle and Charlottesville High to the drafting group to better shape day-to-day guidance.

The presentation addressed specific operational questions raised by board members and students, such as how officers would handle contraband (SOP/MOU guidance points to school-administered responses unless quantities suggest criminal distribution) and how inadvertent contact with an officer during an altercation would be handled (discretion exercised by officers and the department; training and community expectations expected to reduce such occurrences).

Dr. Johnson said the working group aims to present a final MOU to the school board at its Dec. 4 meeting for approval and that, after any final edits, Superintendent Gurley and Police Chief Kotches would sign the agreement. The SOP will remain a living document subject to ongoing review and community feedback collected through an online form.