Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Safety And School Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Eau Claire board approves OE4 monitoring report after extended discussion on school resource officers
Summary
Superintendent Johnson presented OE4 monitoring results (most indicators in compliance with exception); the board debated sunsetting school resource officers and heard principals describe SRO roles as relationship- and resource-focused. The board approved OE4 by voice vote and passed routine consent items earlier in the meeting.
The Eau Claire Area School Board voted to approve the OE4 (student learning environment) monitoring report after an extended discussion about the district’s use of school resource officers (SROs) and whether those positions could be phased out as behavioral and mental‑health staff are hired.
Superintendent Johnson reviewed nine OE4 subheadings and said most areas were “in compliance with exception,” noting examples such as staff verification rates and student climate metrics. “We really would like to move that to an 8, 6,” Johnson said while reviewing indicator-level details and compliance targets; he also cited a staff verification measure that reached about 97.5% in 2023 and a student climate/TFI result that improved from 55% to 74%.
Board members asked when the district could consider sunsetting SROs as ESSER‑funded counselors, social workers and psychologists are hired. One board member framed a long-term goal: “My one of my fondest desires for our school system is one in which we do not have to have a police officer in our building every day,” an attendee said during the public discussion portion (attribution: unidentified board member in transcript).
Principals and administrators described how SROs operate in the district: weekly meetings with administrators, targeted community referrals, supportive contacts initiated by students, and involvement in restorative diversion programs under a local 'systems of care' partnership. Kim Koehler, identified in the meeting packet and referenced during discussion, said the district meets annually with Eau Claire Police Department staff to review SRO data and that SROs often act as a community contact point when a student has been a victim of a crime or when an incident originated off campus. “When students seek out the SRO as a resource, that’s really the kind of resource part of a school resource officer,” a principal said during the presentation of examples; administrators emphasized that SROs do not routinely take enforcement action without administrative direction.
Administrators told the board they are not yet confident the district has the personnel and structures in place at the largest secondary schools to remove on‑site SRO support immediately; they said the topic will be discussed further with the Eau Claire Police Department and SROs in future meetings.
After discussion, a motion to approve OE4 as presented was moved, seconded, and approved by voice vote. Earlier in the meeting the board also approved the superintendent’s consent agenda (payments and payroll) and the board consent agenda as part of routine business.
The board closed the meeting after a short board debrief and a motion to adjourn.
Votes at a glance: - Motion to enter closed session under “19.851 c.”: moved and seconded; roll call taken and motion adopted (roll call names recorded in the transcript). - Superintendent’s consent agenda (payments and payroll): approved by roll call (amounts listed in meeting material). - Board consent agenda (minutes, library plan, proclamations): approved by voice vote. - Motion to approve OE4 monitoring report: moved, seconded, approved by voice vote.
