Akron schools remove SROs from Firestone CLC after Oct. 16 force incident, superintendent asks city to review contract

Superintendent Michael Robinson told the Akron Public School Board on Oct. 21 that he reviewed footage of an Oct. 16 interaction at Firestone CLC in which a School Resource Officer used force on a student and that he had taken immediate action.

"Based on my review, I made an executive decision to request that the SROs be removed from the school, and requested, per our SRO contract with the city, a meeting with city officials to make the removal permanent," Robinson said. He said emergency medical services provided an evaluation for the student and that counselors and victim assistants were deployed that day to support students and staff who witnessed the incident.

Robinson said district leadership, including Board President Autry, met Oct. 17 with Akron Police Chief Harding and other city leaders and that he also spoke with Mayor Malik. He framed the measure as accountability rather than a categorical rejection of law enforcement: "While we deeply value the protection our law enforcement officers provide to the district... there must be accountability when incidents like this occur between an SRO and a student." (Superintendent Michael Robinson)

Board members asked for additional, proactive communications to students and families, and for the district to use classroom- and school-level approaches rather than relying only on an individual to report concerns. Member Hall proposed assemblies or classroom conversations so students know how to ask for help; Vice President Jackson highlighted district plans for trainer-based crisis-management instruction and urged consideration of student-facing programming.

Member Sykes praised staff and the board's immediate actions but urged transparency and review of policies and procedures "to determine what we're doing, how we're doing it, if we need to update what's happening." She also raised questions about charges she had seen referenced and asked that the board consider both the student's and family's needs as the review proceeds.

No formal disciplinary or legal outcome was announced at the meeting; the superintendent said the district had requested that the involved officers not return to APS schools pending the city review under the SRO contract and that the district will continue to provide supports to students and staff as the matter is addressed.

The board did not vote on policy changes at the Oct. 21 meeting; members directed administration to brief principals, convene follow-up meetings with city officials, and explore training and communication options for students and staff. The district advised families of supports that had been deployed following the incident.

What's next: Robinson said principals would be briefed and the district will continue discussions with city leadership per the SRO contract.