SROs report fewer arrests but high discipline referrals; board discusses staffing and cost for planned sixth-grade center

Officer Chad Burnett and Officer Michelle Robinson delivered the Urbana School District 116 end-of-year report on the district’s school resource officer program, reporting fewer arrests and no school-related arrests this year while describing large counts of behavioral referrals and confiscations that remain a concern.

Burnett, the SRO at Urbana High School, said the police generated eight formal reports this year involving 25 students and recorded 14 emergency medical responses. He told the board there were 34 incidents listed as drug or paraphernalia-related and 64 fighting incidents; school intervention staff frequently de-escalated situations before they became physical. “We didn’t have any school-related arrest this year,” Burnett said, adding that some families decline to cooperate with youth-assessment referrals so an arrest or a referral to the state’s attorney may be the only option for certain incidents.

Middle-school SRO Michelle Robinson told the board the junior-high environment felt calmer than in past years even as counts remained high: three police reports (one resulting in three youth-assessment referrals), 25 vandalism reports, 39 thefts, seven knives confiscated and 13 paraphernalia/vape-related incidents. Robinson said the middle school logged 305 fighting incidents (many are verbal escalations) and described work with social services and outside partners to get students faster access to counseling. “Most of our fights are one-on-one now compared to mob action, which is a big improvement for us,” she said.

Board members pressed SROs on daily safety procedures. Burnett said metal detectors are used every morning at two high-school doors, set primarily to catch firearms; none of the detectors has flagged a real firearm during his time at the school, though staff have intercepted knives and look-alike items. K9 locker sweeps were described as an effective, visible deterrent; the district ran an interagency sweep with multiple dogs to avoid giving students time to pass contraband. “When the dogs came in, the weed smell and the vaping issues around the building dropped,” a district administrator said.

Members also discussed the impact of the district’s proposed sixth-grade center on SRO staffing. Robinson recommended a dedicated officer for the sixth-grade center focused on education and relationship-building rather than enforcement. Administrators said the district has a contract with the city for two SROs that expires in June 2025 and that the city has, in recent years, used ARPA dollars and recruitment to increase police capacity. They said the city has signaled willingness to discuss a third officer but cautioned that additional staffing comes with added costs and would require board agreement.

Administrators and officers emphasized that SROs are Urbana Police Department employees who collaborate with school staff, that SROs focus on safety and threat assessment rather than routine classroom discipline, and that responses to vaping and drug incidents are individualized (ranging from parent pick-up and counseling referrals to suspensions for repeat offenses). The board was reminded that youth-assessment referrals require student/family cooperation and eligibility criteria.

The board scheduled a special meeting for June 25 where bidding documents for the sixth-grade center and a tentative budget for 2024–25 will be considered; administrators said any decision on adding an SRO or changing the contract would be part of budget and contract negotiations ahead of the contract’s June 2025 expiration.