Residents voice skepticism about introducing cops into P.C. Schools
August 9, 2023 at 11:09 p.m.
Blanca Lopez approached the microphone, seizing the moment as one of the first in the Port Chester Schools community to publicly show hesitation over the district’s proposal to establish a Student Resource Officer (SRO) program across its six buildings.
A Port Chester resident and former school trustee herself, Lopez attended the July 27 Board of Education meeting with her perspective as a parent and a project leader for Westchester County’s Police Reform and Reimagining Task Force.
That group, she said, found that research suggests uniformed police officers in schools results in unequal disciplinary action against students of color, students with disabilities, LGBTQ students and students of low socioeconomic status. She questioned whether the program would be a wise direction for the community and whether its prioritization amplifies the district’s philosophies.
“I find it ironic that the district will not fund afterschool programming this year when research indicates that high-quality afterschool programs improve student educational outcomes, school attendance, social and emotional learning, increases social skills, reduces problem behaviors, improves overall physical health and would solidify this district’s commitment to educating the whole child,” she said. “Yet, we are now going to spend money to bring SROs to the schools.
“Research indicates that school safety approaches emphasizing the presence of SROs are not very effective in making school safer,” she continued. “They’re often associated with negative outcomes including lower academic performance, higher levels of school violence, dropout rates, antisocial behavior and interaction with the criminal justice system.”
Lopez is not alone in her concerns, which became evident just a few days later.
Port Chester and Rye Brook residents questioned police and school officials about the potential SRO program in the school district on Monday, July 31, in the middle school library. They gathered for the first “Distinguished Guest Speaker Series,” a new town hall-style initiative aimed to open communication channels on important school matters.
Those in the room held mixed opinions about the integration of SROs into the schools. The current plan would see one officer from Rye Brook covering the middle and high school buildings and one cop from Port Chester overseeing the four elementary schools.
Port Chester Superintendent Dr. Aurelia Henriquez said the vote on whether to bring SROs to the schools had not been held yet, but money was earmarked in the district’s 2023-24 budget to cover the cost of the officers should the Board of Education choose to move forward.
A survey was sent to district parents and community members, which received approximately 300 responses, Henriquez said, reporting that 90 percent of respondents were in favor of the SRO program. However, the vocal residents in attendance that evening did not seem to represent that positivity.
“I have concerns, especially in the middle and high school,” said Maggie Nachlin, a Putnam Drive resident with a child in the high school. “I’m not sure that I see a benefit to having an officer versus having more school counselors or having more student mental health support in another form. So, if we’re going to spend the money, I’m not sure this is the best way to do it.”
Port Chester resident Craig Griffin also voiced concerns, specifically questioning how the presence of officers in the schools would affect minority students. He was on the fence about the program. If it’s not implemented properly, he said, it could impact Blacks and Hispanics negatively.
“I don’t want it to be a pipeline to incarceration,” he said.
Heather Mateus also had mixed opinions about the program. With children attending the middle and high schools, the Rye Brook resident questioned the law enforcement and school officials in attendance about how the program would be set up—who the SRO would report to and how much visibility they’d have in the buildings.
Her concerns mostly surrounded the money budgeted for the SRO and, if items needed to be cut from the school’s budget, whether the program would be subject to the same reductions as the arts.
“I just want to make sure whatever we’re implementing is in the best interests of the students and the taxpayers,” she said. “My concern with the budget is we’ve cut so much when we’ve had lean times—is there any guarantee they can cut it or not cut it. Obviously, it depends on who’s in charge, but we want to make sure there’s some oversight and we want to make sure that it’s not a kneejerk reaction to kids coming out of the pandemic and not knowing what to do when they have excess energy.”
Though questions were asked aloud at the meeting, others were submitted anonymously, which police and school officials responded to freely. Most of the questions were concerned with whether SROs would be involved in disciplinary action in the schools or if the presence of police officers could cause a student scuffle to escalate.
According to Rye Brook Police Chief Greg Austin, disciplinary action would remain the responsibility of the school’s administration.
“If there is a scuffle in the hallways and an SRO is present, the SRO will stop it from happening,” he said. “But from that point, it will be up to the school administrators to deal with any type of discipline that needs to be dealt with. The SRO might help mitigate any problems, but it’s not the SRO’s responsibility to discipline the students.”
Austin added that charges arising from a school scuffle are limited because anyone under the age of 18 in New York State cannot be arrested and tried for assault in a criminal court.
According to Henriquez, the SRO program is not being implemented to stop potential active shooters, but rather to heighten community engagement.
“Sure, it can be a deterrent, but I don’t want anyone to understand that an SRO is placed because we think it’s going to stop an active shooter,” she said. “There is evidence that it has deterred active shooters from selecting a school. That’s a small piece of what an SRO program is about.”
The community engagement aspect, according to Austin, is to allow students to see officers in contexts other than policing. Port Chester Police Captain Charles Nielsen elaborated on the sentiment and described the program as a mentoring opportunity that builds relationships. He added that antibias training is a part of the two-week program that prepares officers for working in schools.
Should the program be approved, Port Chester Police Officer Moises Ochoa will serve as the SRO for the four elementary schools.
Port Chester Police Officer Moises Ochoa assures parents of his abilities to work with children at a community discussion about potentially implementing a Student Resource Officer (SRO) program in the Port Chester School District on Monday, July 31. Should the program be approved, Ochoa will be the SRO in the district’s four elementary schools.By Jeffrey Cullen Dean
Ochoa said he hopes to be a good role model for the elementary students. He’s a graduate of the Port Chester school system and is bilingual in English and Spanish. Through an SRO program, Ochoa hopes opportunities to teach youth about the positive sides of policing would be amplified.
“It gives us the opportunity to reach out to the kids,” he said. “Usually, the kids see us because Mom and Dad did something bad. This is a good opportunity to show a more human side—hopefully more positive interactions. We’re someone, if they need help, they can see and say, ‘I want to talk to that guy.’”
According to Rye Brook Police Lieutenant John Arnold, the department has not selected their officer for the program yet.
Because the SRO will become a member of the school’s community, there could be situations where students feel more comfortable seeking out the officer for help before a teacher or counselor, which he said goes into the decision making.
“Whichever officer is assigned will have contact with numerous students throughout the day and semester and trust gets built,” Arnold said. “If there’s something safety-wise, a student may feel like going to an SRO before anybody else.”
While some residents and parents of students remained incredulous of the program, members of the school board and administration voiced positive feelings on introducing SROs into the Port Chester Schools.
“I obviously believe that it’s beneficial,” said Henriquez in an interview after the meeting. “But I also strongly believe that we’re going to build an incredible program by having conversations with all stakeholders that are committed to helping us build that SRO program.”
In an interview after the discussion, Port Chester Board of Education President Lou Russo said he felt the program was a good idea.
“It’s a good conversation we’re having and something worth considering and we’re doing our due diligence getting our stakeholders involved,” he said. “I think it’s good the way we’re approaching it. Ultimately, we’re going to continue down this road and come to a conclusion at some point.”
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