Providence School Board asks state to remove school resource officers

ORIGINAL NOTE: https://turnto10.com/news/local/providence-school-board-to-request-sros-be-removed

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — The Providence School Board on Wednesday approved a resolution to ask state education leaders to remove school resource officers, or SROs, from city schools.

Community members have called for money used for SROs to be reallocated to mental health and support services.

“I’d rather have people from my community, people I’m familiar with, family, counselors, social workers actually talk to me instead of being intimidated by a gun and handcuffs,” said one student.

The request goes to the Rhode Island Department of Education.

In a statement Wednesday, a spokesperson for RIDE said in part that the department is investing in support services, “which included budgeting for 18 guidance counselors for Providence elementary schools and 36 community liaisons to support student achievement and social emotional learning.”

“We know that students are passionate about this and we will continue to work with them, the PPSD team, and the Governor to ensure student safety and success in our schools,” the statement said.

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Gov. Dan McKee has previously said that while there is room for improvement, he’s against removing the Providence SROs.

“I stepped in and said no, we’re not going to do that. We have the people in our office along with the commissioner and the chief of police talking about what the SROs, student resource officers, will look like in Providence,” McKee said during an NBC 10 Town Hall in April.

Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green told NBC 10’s Gene Valicenti on his WPRO radio show that they were going to remove the SROs.

“But the governor is very committed to making this work and looking at it in a very different way,” Infante-Green said. “He thinks that it’s important that there be a relationship and that we work this out.”

The Providence School Board does not control the district while it us under state control. Only the state can make a change with SROs.