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Parents, students and alumni press Northshore board to reinstate Both High SRO after contract vote
Summary
Supporters of the Both High School SRO told the board the officer builds relationships and kept students safe during a recent incident; community members asked the board to reopen the contract decision and to release the data used in the May 11 vote.
Supporters of the school resource officer (SRO) program at Both High School urged the Northshore School District board to reconsider a prior decision to end the school's SRO contract, saying the officer provides safety and trusted relationships that campus supervisors cannot replace.
Multiple student speakers said they feel safer when the SRO is on campus and described Officer Wear as a trusted presence. Senior Laya Wallace told the board that removing the SRO "takes away the safest person on campus" and criticized directors for basing votes on private conscience rather than the majority of students' views.
Parents, alumni and staff expanded on those claims. Ivan Barios recounted a lockdown on May 14 involving a student with a knife and said the SRO's prior presence and relationship with students helped de-escalate the situation; he said that SRO familiarity with specific students contributed to the rapid, appropriate response. Several speakers cited the district wellness and safety task force and survey results they interpret as supporting the SRO program.
Other commenters accused the board of insufficient community engagement and of violating district policies in past votes affecting SRO contracts. They asked for a public review of the May 11 vote, release of the raw survey data, and a community meeting in early June to reconsider the decision. A parent representative asked the four board members who voted to end the SRO program to either meet the Both High community with evidence or step down.
District leaders did not reverse the May 11 action at the meeting. The board accepted public comment and then proceeded with scheduled action items; speakers said they will press for a recall and for a special agenda item to readdress the SRO contract.
What happens next: Community members asked the board to add the Both High SRO contract renewal to an upcoming agenda and to share anonymized raw data from surveys and task-force reports that informed the earlier vote; the board did not commit to relisting the contract at this meeting.
