“Going to school should not look and feel like you are entering the criminal justice system,” said Jakira Rogers of Massachusetts Advocates for Children. They called for alternative ways to keep students safe, such as bringing in more social workers and expanding restorative justice practices. Many public commenters at the meeting said they opposed any further police involvement. The Council of Great City Schools report found that the 2020 law resulted in confusion among BPS staff around the responsibilities of the district versus those of the police. Rather than provide the training, then-Superintendent Brenda Cassellius opted to replace the police with “safety specialists” who lack arrest powers, uniforms, and handcuffs.
Under the current policy, individual schools decide whether to install metal detectors some schools already have them.īoston Public Schools stopped employing police officers in response to the state’s 2020 Police Reform Law that required school officers receive about 350 additional hours of training. Three-quarters of district parents surveyed in a recent MassINC/Shah Foundation poll supported those measures. In January, Murphy, Flaherty, Councilor Frank Baker, and council President Ed Flynn called for a restoration of police to schools and for the installation of metal detectors. Skipper emphasized that the agreement will not change city and district policies around information sharing and surveillance, such as a 2021 ordinance prohibiting school officials from including information like immigration status and gang affiliation in student reports that are shared with police.įlaherty welcomed the coming agreement and said that he has heard from parents that school leaders were not calling 911, forcing parents to go to the police themselves. The agreement has been in the works for almost two years, Skipper said, but the consultant’s recommendation spurred the parties to complete it.
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