Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Resource Officers topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board committee approves resolution to tighten accountability for school resource officers
Summary
After extensive public testimony from students, teachers and community groups, the committee approved Resolution 2526R-004 directing the district to adopt clearer SRO policy, a revised MOU with MPD, public reporting and annual evaluations to limit SRO involvement to criminal matters and strengthen complaint processes.
The Committee on Legislation, Rules and Policies voted to approve Resolution 2526R-004, a measure directing the district to develop a clear policy and revised memorandum of understanding (MOU) governing the school resource officer (SRO) program, require public reporting and conduct annual evaluations.
Sponsor remarks and administration presentation set the terms of the resolution. Superintendent Brenda Cassellia told the committee the administration reviewed the resolution and consulted legal counsel, and proposed redline revisions to ensure clarity and alignment with district standards and intergovernmental agreements. The resolution directs the administration to develop policy language, work with the Milwaukee Police Department on MOU alignment, provide an annual report to the board, monitor program evaluation, and train administrators and safety personnel.
Director Zomber framed the resolution as centering student rights and safety, saying school leaders — not police — should manage routine student behavior and that SROs should be involved only in criminal matters. The sponsor also said the measure would improve transparency so the board and public would not need to rely on open-records requests to learn how the program is operating.
Dozens of public speakers — including students, teachers, union representatives and local advocacy groups — urged passage. Student speakers from Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) described fear and discomfort around uniformed officers in hallways, cited incidents involving special-education students and questioned the adequacy of the 40‑hour baseline training for SROs. Community presenters cited reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that in the first months of the SRO program police reported more than a dozen arrests and roughly $13,000 in citations, with community presenters saying most named students were Black.
Advocacy groups including the ACLU of Wisconsin, Voces de la Frontera, Milwaukee Turners, Leaders Igniting Transformation and labor organizations urged stronger guardrails, more training tailored to adolescent development and disability awareness, public data reporting, student voice in evaluations and limits on SRO uniforms and equipment.
Committee members pressed administration on timing and venue for quarterly baseline data and the annual evaluation; administration said it could present baseline audit data as soon as the next quarterly report and proposed a June 30 date for the first year evaluation, and indicated it would consult MPD leadership about uniform definitions.
Director O'Halloran moved approval of the resolution with the attached revisions. The roll call vote recorded four ayes (Directors Herndon, O'Halloran, Vanoy and Chair Zomber) and the motion passed.
The committee instructed administration to incorporate public reporting and evaluation timelines into the policy work and to define how student and family voice will be included in evaluations. The resolution does not itself change the MOU; it directs the administration to draft policy and a new MOU in consultation with partners and return to the board for final adoption.
