By Morelys Urbano
In recent years, the debate over the presence of police officers in schools has intensified, particularly in Montgomery County, where concerns about the school-to-prison pipeline and racial disparities in disciplinary actions have sparked calls for reform.
As concerns persist, the implementation of restorative justice practices in schools emerges as a potential solution to create safer and more equitable learning environments, and as student activists and community organizers raise awareness on the issue.
In February of 2020, council members Will Jawando and Hans Riemer unveiled a bill that aimed at preventing the implementation of the school resource officer (SRO) program by the county police chief.
This program stationed armed officers in most public high schools and some middle schools within the county, which boasts a population of 1 million people.
The lawmakers argued that the $3 million allocated for the officer program would be better utilized to enhance mental health resources and after-school activities for students.
Jawando and Riemer opposed a proposed expansion of the resource officer program funded by the state, aligning themselves with activists who assert that the program unfairly targets Black, Latino, and disabled students.
The removal of School Resource Officers (SROs) from Montgomery County high schools is a response to concerns raised by activists regarding disproportionate arrests of marginalized students across the district and beyond.
In response to these disparities, the initiative intends to implement alternative safety measures such as clinical social workers, restorative justice training, and positive youth development programs.
Nonetheless, challenges persist with the return of officers under the title of Community Engagement Officers (CEOs) raising doubts about the efficacy of the changes of the program on students.
Danielle Blocker, founder of Young People for Progress, the organization responsible for this action, emphasized the importance of removing SROs from schools and the impact that the return of these officers has created in the student body.
“We were able to remove SROs successfully from Montgomery County for four months, but after an incident in one of the schools, they returned under the title of CEOs, which allows them to still be present” said Blocker.
According to the Office of Legislative Oversight's report, disparities in disciplinary actions within Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) persist, with students of color, low-income students, and students with disabilities facing harsher consequences.
Black children, in particular, are disproportionately affected, being twice as likely to face disciplinary actions compared to their enrollment representation. This disproportionality is not attributed to higher levels of misconduct but rather to systemic biases in the disciplinary process.
Student activist Tracy Espinoza emphasizes the importance of this matter in a school setting. “As someone who comes from a minority majority high school," said Espinoza, "being able to feel comfortable with the environment I’m in is a priority."
“When minorities are typically targeted by officers, it is vital that we foster an environment where they feel comfortable rather than transforming it into one where they feel like they need police to feel safe,” said the student.
Nevertheless, parents like Javier Chavez, underscore the necessity of law enforcement. “When my children were in school, I saw the police outside the school, not inside," said Chavez. "As a parent, I see it as a security measure."
Javier Chavez’s children graduated from Gaithersburg High School two, five, and nine years ago, and despite his understanding of the temporal disparity between those events and the present moment, he emphasized the need for safety measures now.
“The police should be there to watch over. Nowadays, many gangs visit the schools to recruit children, and the police should be there to protect them from that and other dangerous things,” said Chavez.
Javier Chavez's perspective resonates with numerous individuals; it is a sentiment echoed by other parents, such as Martina Castellano, a mother of two Montgomery County high school students who highlights her concerns about the initiative.
“The decision to redirect the funds could have a good impact on the students [...] I am just not sure if the alternative measures will protect my kids from outside danger,” said Castellano.
Are Montgomery County schools safer now?
A research study by The Criminology and Public Policy journal in 2020 found that schools with increased SRO presence experienced a rise in drug and weapons-related offenses, and higher instances of exclusionary discipline by school administrators.
The term of exclusionary discipline refers to measures that remove students from school, such as out-of-school suspensions, to which Montgomery County Public Schools had been used to, before the removal of SROs.
Recent data from the Office of Legislative Oversight's report in 2023 revealed a significant decline in referrals to juvenile services and delinquency cases following the removal of SROs from Montgomery County high schools.
This shift underscores the potential impact of alternative safety measures advocated by Young People for Progress and student activists, signaling a promising step towards dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline.
However, racial disparities persist, with Black children still twice as likely to face suspension or referral compared to their share of student enrollment. Structural approaches centering BIPOC stakeholders offer promise for reversing racial inequity in the Pipeline.
Removing police from schools is just the beginning
Despite changes in MCPS policy to prohibit discretionary suspensions, data post-pandemic still indicates racial disparities in school discipline. Historical and contemporary racial inequities in public schooling and policing contribute to the persistence of these disparities.
Contemporary inequities such as implicit bias, criminalization of student behavior, and police presence in schools continue to increase the risk for BIPOC students to enter the Pipeline.
These inequities manifest as discipline, opportunity, and power gaps, further solidifying inequalities based on race, and criminalizing students of color, which underscores the urgency for comprehensive reform in Montgomery County's educational and law enforcement systems.
The law enforcement perspective
Deputy Chief of Police at Morgan State University, and former SRO, Dewayne Chambers, narrates the importance of effective communication and proactive measures in addressing issues within educational institutions.
"The removal of officers stops the flow of communication, and communication allows a bridge for the community to be involved. It helps with developing solutions, and allows the department to be proactive instead of reactive," said Chambers.
Deputy Chamber’s insights stem from real-life experiences. As an SRO, he was able to work closely with students from low income families in North Carolina, where he remembers great memories of his impact on the students.
“I recall a gentleman involved with the streets, and he talked to me about dropping out of school,” said Chambers. “He later joined a national guard program [...] I saw him years after his graduation and he thanked me for being a mentor to him.”
The Deputy Chief, who is also a parent, said that School Resource Officers stand on a “community policing platform” where their goal is to be accessible to students and parents that may have safety concerns.
Deputy Chambers' anecdotes offer an insight into the idealized role of School Resource Officers (SROs) as mentors and community liaisons. However, statistics reveal a stark contrast between this ideal and the reality, especially for students confronting challenges beyond the classroom.
What do lawmakers think?
While acknowledging isolated cases of positive impact, it's essential to consider the larger conversation surrounding the presence of police officers in schools, a topic that has prompted many lawmakers to alter their viewpoints and align with a different stance.
An illustrative case comes from the perspectives of Craig Rice, a longtime advocate for police presence in public schools; his journey reflects a broader reevaluation of law enforcement's role in educational settings.
Rice's introspection, prompted by evolving societal dynamics, mirrors the ongoing discourse surrounding police reform and community safety. This introspection culminated in Rice's unexpected announcement regarding the discontinuation of the school officer program in Montgomery County.
“In talking with various stakeholders, especially our students, I’ve evolved on the issue of police in our schools,” Rice said at a news conference in 2021 with Will Jawando, who has led the charge to eliminate the program.
Rice's unexpected announcement to discontinue the school officer program resonated deeply within the community, mirroring Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich's budgetary priorities and resource allocation, echoing the nuanced considerations shaping local governance.
As Montgomery County navigates the complex landscape of school safety, the removal of police officers from educational settings stands as a pivotal step towards fostering more equitable and nurturing learning environments.
Despite challenges, embracing restorative justice and redirecting resources to mental health support, after-school programs, and positive youth development promises meaningful progress and signifies proactive steps in addressing and nurturing student well-being.
The voices of student activists, community organizers, and policymakers have merged in a unified call for reform, emphasizing the need to address systemic biases and dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. Tracy Espinoza is one of those voices of change.
“My message to others is to try being a kid within the school system where there’s constant dangers [...] but when we face these problems we can’t be relying on officers, and instead we need to rely on restorative justice and emotional support,” said the student advocate.