Students provide Minneapolis School Board petition calling for new negotiations with police over school resource officers

January 15, 2019 10:17 PM

About a dozen students handed a petition to Minneapolis School Board members with signatures from more than 300 students asking for new negotiations with the School Resource Officer (SRO) contract through Minneapolis Police.

Kenneth Eban, with Students for Education Reform Minnesota, told school board members the role of SROs is ambiguous and they do not serve the best interests of students of color.

"There needs to be new negotiations this June heading into the 2019-20 school year," Eban said. "Most students do not know who their SROs are and their role in schools is not always beneficial to students of color."

Eban said the school board should consider eliminating the SRO program or at least redefine it and make it more of a useful tool for students.

"Right now SROs are supposed to be mentors and build relationships with students," Eban said. "But, too often they are not used that way and some students feel very uncomfortable having them in the school hallways."

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There are 14 SROs in Minneapolis schools right now and they are there to foster good relations with students and to also assist in security situations when needed.

The school board did not comment or take action on the petition but said it would take it into consideration when contract talks open again with the Minneapolis Police Department in 2020.