Parents weigh in on Phoenix Union High School District's proposal to bring back school resource officers
Phoenix Union High School District discuss bringing back SROs on campus
Just over two years after they decided to remove school resource officers from campus, officials with the Phoenix Union High School District are reconsidering their role, and a meeting took place on Mar. 29 to talk about the possibility of bringing them back. FOX 10's Marissa Sarbak reports.
PHOENIX - Officials with the Phoenix Union High School District are determining what the role of police looks like on its campuses.
In 2020, officials with PXU decided not to renew its contract with Phoenix Police for school resource officers.
"As the district responsibly yet courageously addresses two pandemics, racism and COVID-19, [Superintendent] Dr. [Chad] Gestson said that this is the right time for PXU to revisit and even rethink school safety," read a portion of a statement released by school district officials in July 2020.
Two years later, in December 2022, the district began to reconsider the role of police on campus. A meeting on campus police presence was held on Mar. 29, just days following a deadly school shooting in Tennessee.
Parents weighed in on the issue of police presence on campus during the meeting.
"As a mother, I know I have conversations with my teen son on how to interact when he’s out of my care, but I have to trust that the adults around him are keeping him safe," said one mother.
During the meeting, an intergovernmental agreement was outlined, which details which officers would be eligible to work on campuses, and what the job duties would entail.
"I was just gonna ask that they provide a resume beforehand. When we get the list of who they are, it comes with a resume," said another parent.
The committee will now pass the recommendations on to the school board. The school board will vote on these on April 13.