School Resource Officers are coming to Port Chester
January 25, 2024 at 12:29 a.m.
When the idea of bringing School Resource Officers (SROs) into the buildings as a full-time presence in the lives of Port Chester students started circulating, Board of Education President Lou Russo was initially hesitant, he recalled.
“My reaction when this first came up was a hard no,” he said during the Board of Education meeting on Thursday, Jan. 18. “Have we come to a point in society where we need armed officers and guards? Unfortunately, here we are…will it prevent crime? Prevent a tragic incident? No one can say, and to look at it from that perspective is unfair.”
That night, in a passionate speech, Russo was explaining why he changed his mind—moments before the Board of Education unanimously approved the SRO program.
Potentially as soon as the first week of February, armed police officers of the Port Chester and Rye Brook police departments will have a consistent presence across the Port Chester School District. The program calls for recruitment of two law enforcement professionals—one from the Rye Brook police, Officer Orelvis Lazala, who will split his time between the middle and high school, and Officer Moises Ochoa from the Port Chester police who will rotate among the four elementary schools.
The Port Chester Board of Education signed off on the newly minted contracts that Thursday, the Village of Rye Brook followed suit at its trustee meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 23, and it’s now on the docket to be considered by the Port Chester Board of Trustees.
Superintendent Dr. Aurelia Henriquez first brought up the SRO proposal in April 2023 during a 2023-24 budget discussion where she requested the school board set aside $360,000 for the potential implementation of the program. While no plans were committed to it at that point, the board chose to safeguard funds in the budget to offer flexibility this school year.
School Resource Officers are controversial yet popular programs across the U.S. that have proven to be a hot topic in the world of education as administrations try to balance optimal school safety and culture. While security considerations are at the forefront of conversations, particularly as communities grapple with the horrific prevalence of mass shootings in educational spaces, so is the cultural dialog about the state of policing, particularly geared toward marginalized communities.
A plethora of academic research suggests that when unsuccessfully executed, SRO programs bring a policing culture to schools that can be harmful to the educational culture and can lead to the disproportionate discipline and arrest of students of color and with disabilities. Groups such as the ACLU and National Education Association have warned against the presence of cops in schools.
A retired New York City police officer who raised his children through the Port Chester School District, Kevin McFadden speaks to the Board of Education during their meeting on Thursday, Jan. 18, to vocalize strong support for implementing a School Resource Officer program. Later that night, the board unanimously adopted the initiative.By David Tapia
However, administrators at Port Chester Schools say after ample conversations with policing officials and district affiliates, the community has created a program where everyone is on the same page to ensure that does not happen.
“We’re taking a calculated risk, and when I say risk, that’s like any program. We’re taking a risk that will improve outcomes,” Russo said. “I get the authenticity of our police departments here and they understand it’s not our goal to criminalize student behavior. They’re here to help us out, and strongly believe that.”
According to Henriquez, 18 school districts across Westchester have implemented SRO programs in their buildings. And as of last Thursday, plans were finalized to allow Port Chester Schools to do the same.
“I’m very disappointed in how this thing went down,” said Teresa Pica in a voicemail message to this reporter.
“I’m not inherently against it, but I want to know why we need it and want to make it a great program if we’re going to use it,” she continued in the follow up conversation. “We never did a needs assessment survey…there wasn’t real community engagement. There’s a lot that has to go into a program like this; let’s follow the rules.”
A clinical social worker with two sons attending Port Chester High School, Pica feels the implementation process has been rushed.
She had hoped and assumed the initiative would have been more fleshed out with concrete details and assessment protocol before seeing a Board of Education vote. And, pointing to guidelines published by the U.S. Department of Justice on starting a program, she feels the district inadequately addressed the first principle: “local decision-making.”
Pica served on the SRO committee—though the body that met four times over the last few months was not what she anticipated it would be. Their task wasn’t to discuss whether the school district should implement the program, but rather to formulate suggestive goals around the initiative that was undoubtedly coming to the district.
“Not having an SRO was never on the table. The framework was always that it was happening,” agreed Maggie Nachlin during a phone call. She was another member of the committee who at the board meeting urged the trustees to use the SRO money to invest in the classroom. “I know a couple of us joined the committee because we had concerns, and we were told if we have concerns, we should join.”
According to Henriquez, the district tasked the committee to come up with “smart goals” because they had already concluded the program was supported due to positive feedback from community surveys. “(The committee) was also an opportunity for representatives from the community to voice any concerns they had that they wanted us to be really careful about when rolling out the program. It was really informative,” she said.
However, the warier parents questioned if those surveys served as an adequate measure in the feedback loop—not only because participation was limited, but because it seems many families don’t realize what the program is for.
Many in the Port Chester Schools community have the perception that SROs will help prevent the tragedy of a school shooting incident, Nachlin said. But, as the administration and police departments have emphasized, that is not the purpose of the program. And research doesn’t suggest that the presence of armed officers will stop such a tragedy.
While some parents feel skepticism, their concerns are certainly not held by all.
“I’m a parent of two boys in the district who wanted to email that I’m in favor of an SRO in the building,” read a statement from Christina Patafio, whose email to the district was read aloud during public comment period at the school board meeting. “I feel this will promote a positive school climate and feel it is important for my children to learn police officers are a helpful resource to go to when they are in need. I’m asking that the Board of Education vote yes and allow our children to feel safe in school.”
“I joined the SRO committee and volunteered my time to help shape a program that would be a direct benefit to the students in the districts by establishing and growing relationships with the Port Chester Police Department,” stated another written comment from Carlos Gomez. “In my view, our task was to tailor our expectations for what an SRO program would look like in Port Chester. While I understand and appreciate the various opinions regarding an SRO program, its value and potential positive impact must also be considered. If successful, the district and community have much to gain and learn from the implementation of this program.”
As a parent of Port Chester graduates and a retired police officer who currently works as an armed officer in a private school, Kevin McFadden approached the Board of Education to vocalize avid support. Simply, he said, SROs can see things that sometimes teachers miss, and an extra set of eyes can mean the world.
“In these times we live in, there’s a lot of uncertainty. To have that officer there as a safety factor is huge,” he said. “They also build a bond with the kids in the school, and there are things that the students will come to them with that they wouldn’t go to a teacher about. I’ve had it happen to me.”
As intended, the SRO program is not about policing students, but rather community outreach and engagement.
“The Board of Education has very specific goals, one of them being community engagement,” Henriquez said during a follow-up interview. “And an effective SRO program at its core is really about being proactive and engaging the community.”
‘The missing piece:’ What will the SROs do?
Board of Education Vice President Sharon Burke, in expressing slight concern, questioned what the day-to-day life of an SRO in the schools will be like.
“I do feel like there’s a missing piece here tonight. We have the goals and the contract, but what we don’t have yet is a plan for the program. How it will look, what it will entail,” Burke said. “I think it’s important that we have that in place so people understand the scope of this program, what the day-to-day activities of the SRO will be.”
With the Port Chester School District administration all ears, district parent Maggie Nachlin, who served on the SRO committee, urges them to use the money they’ll spend on the program to invest elsewhere with more direct classroom benefit.By David Tapia
Port Chester Schools administrators, when asked during a follow-up interview, provided more insight.
To an extent, it’s about mere presence—the SRO will be there to greet students in the morning, walk the halls during the day, hang out at lunch and recess and help with dismissal upon the final bell.
“That’s an important part of it, that omnipresence of being in the schools walking around in uniform and providing that sense of security,” said Michael Dowd, the school district’s safety and security coordinator.
“In my experience, that hallway presence is crucial,” added Deputy Superintendent Dr. Colleen Carroll. “Just being available for students to contact if that student feels that may be the route they want to take in reaching out to someone. Our teachers and counselors are great, but this is another person a student can directly connect with when they feel they really need to talk to someone…there’s an SEL (social-emotional learning) piece that’s really huge. It’s another emotional support for students.”
The SROs will be working closely with teachers, administrators and counselors, Carroll said, for guidance in connecting with students who would benefit from support and mentorship. That speaks to the community engagement piece, which she described as crucial.
Then, Dowd continued, there’s specific projects the district plans to work on with the officers.
It’s expected that the SROs will be a resource in helping the district with improving efficiency and best practice procedures. For example, he explained, most school campuses have traffic problems during drop-off and dismissal, and the law enforcement professionals can help devise a better management system. Similarly, they’ll assist in ensuring each school’s safety drills are the most effective they can be.
There’s also an educational piece. Dowd said they envision the SROs pushing into classrooms to educate students about matters such as drug prevention and driving laws.
“This is something that will evolve as we go on,” Henriquez said. “We do have a plan, the goals, but I think it’s important to recognize that it will evolve. In the beginning at least, that relationship building piece is so important…being the face that the students begin to recognize and trust.”
The SRO program is not intended to be a method of policing or disciplining students. Rye Brook Police Chief Greg Austin, who has been active in devising the program, said the police are not able to arrest students under the age of 18, and there are rules outlined in the contract and goals that ensure their motivation is about community.
At the Board of Education meeting, Trustee Rob Dominguez questioned how the program will be evaluated and assessed as time goes on.
“We have the committee,” responded Austin. “Something moving forward is we review the goals, and I report to the committee what’s being done to meet the goals. We can speak with students, staff and teachers about if the SRO is meeting needs. And I’m not interested in ‘he’s a great guy’ responses, I’d be looking for specifics. What has he done? How has he helped?”
“The SRO Committee has worked hard and done a fantastic job. They worked together to come up with comprehensive goals,” he said. “There are 18 school districts in Westchester that have SROs. None of them have goals.”
While the SRO goals are still being drafted and were not shared during the meeting, Henriquez later provided an overview regarding what they entail. The officers must be trusted adults who are advocates of diverse needs, supporters of mental health and active in community outreach, some goals suggest. Additionally, they must have a visible presence, be integrated into the schools’ safety plans and operations and dedicated to increasing pupils’ understanding of the law, all while student privacy stays respected and protected.
The deal in writing
While the School Resource Officers’ salaries and benefits will be paid by their respective police departments, the school district will reimburse the Villages for services.
According to the contracts, the district is paying $140 an hour for each officer. Through the rest of the 2023-24 school year, it’s stipulated, the amount is not to exceed $95,550 per department.
This Spring, the rate for the 2024-25 school year will be negotiated. The contract is valid for the next five years, though any party can terminate the agreement with at least 90 days’ notice.
While the police departments are tasked with assigning officers to the SRO program, the contract indicates they are to make such selections in consultation with school district officials. The document additionally outlines proper communication channels to be used if the district has issues with an officer placement.
As laid out in the contract, the SRO program is intended to “provide another resource for (the school district) in its goal of providing a safe school environment and of maintaining an atmosphere where students, teachers, staff members, administrators and others feel safe and secure to learn, teach, work and visit.”
The officers are there to help teach students about the criminal justice system, while also preventing crime and violence on school grounds.
The SROs’ responsibility is to provide safety and security all inside the schools, protect school property and maintain order. They are to work with school professionals to address any criminal or disorderly behavior that arises and will be tasked with investigating unlawful allegations. Yet, the contract also indicates they are “to work to prevent juvenile delinquency through close contact and positive relationships with students.”
First and foremost, the SRO is a police officer whose primary duty is law enforcement. However, “the SRO shall not be responsible for discipling students.”
“It is understood and agreed that (the school district) and its administration are responsible for discipling students,” the contract states. “While the SRO may take appropriate action to prevent or stop criminal or unlawful activity, or violation of the Code of Conduct by students, for the purpose of discipline, any student involved in such (activity) shall be escorted or reported to the administration. Nothing herein shall restrict the SROs’ ability to take appropriate law enforcement action against students who have engaged in criminal or unlawful conduct.”
The SRO will not be requested to participate in student searches, the document reads, and they may not transport any student in their vehicles unless there has been an arrest or if there’s an emergency. Additionally, the officer cannot have access to confidential student records, except in emergency situations or if a search warrant has been granted.
Is the program needed?
“The thing is, I felt like I never understood why this program was needed,” Nachlin said.
She feels some of the goals and benefits incorporated speak to resources already established in the schools. If the program is about having a friendly face associated with law enforcement in the buildings, there are already youth officers who visit. And she figured the police would already be a part of establishing district safety plans.
“There isn’t a big problem with fighting or drugs in our schools, at least that anyone has told me about. It’s not about stopping a school shooting. So, why do we need police officers? I was expecting to hear something a little more concrete from the administration about it, but I’m not hearing it.”
In fact, the school district emphasized that the implementation of an SRO program is not about student behavior—Henriquez doesn’t want anyone to think that’s the case, or that problematic conduct is on the rise.
“It’s really about your lens,” she said. “If you’re looking at the implementation of an SRO through the lens of ‘this must mean something negative,’ then that’s the wrong lens. That’s not the lens we’re looking at this through, it’s not the lens we’re using to form the program.”
“An SRO is not implemented because of something negative like student discipline or community criminal behavior,” she continued. “That is not the reason in this implementation, nor should it be in the implementation for any SRO.”
While preventing a mass shooting is not the purpose behind bringing officers into the schools, Dowd noted that the community outreach of the program does provide additional safety measures as a byproduct.
“If we can prevent these things from happening before they get to our school buildings, that’s the most important piece,” he said. “I think having someone out there in the community who’s engaging in the students, ‘if you see something say something,’ talking to them one-on-one, it will really help with the reporting access of that as well.”
Unintended consequences are a concern to Nachlin. If students over the age of 18 get into a fight, where will the line be drawn regarding police intervention? And largely, she posed, will marginalized families with historic tensions with law enforcement feel intimidated about being in the schools?
Henriquez recognized the inherent concerns, particularly those relating to minority students. But the administration urges that this program is designed to bridge those gaps.
“Let’s be honest, a big part of an SRO program is tearing down those barriers that exist between the police and communities that have been historically marginalized,” the superintendent said. “That was at the forefront of this conversation. And I think we will continue to try our very best to remain on the cutting edge of everything that is best practice when it comes to the implementation of an SRO program.”
“The feedback piece doesn’t stop when that officer begins,” Henriquez said. “We want to keep that communication channel open. And we want to hear from our students and parents about how things are going, and our teachers and leaders about how we can continuously get better.”
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