PHOENIX — Police officers are likely to come back to Phoenix Union High School campuses, but won't be at every school.
In an hours-long school board meeting on June 1, the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) board voted unanimously to bring back up to six police officers with other stipulations.
This topic of discussion has been a back-and-forth conversation for months. In 2020, the district decided to go another route with safety and not renew its contract with Phoenix Police Department.
However, in 2022, those conversations came back up and the board created a safety committee to look at the use of police on campus again.
After more than seven months, that committee recommended the board bring back officers. The board originally voted against their recommendation but decided on a different plan on June 1.
While the number of officers is still not set in stone. The board chose a maximum of six officers due to a grant from the Department of Public Education but the actual number will be chosen at the next board meeting.
With possibly six officers, that means not every school will have an officer on campus. Instead, the board wanted to go with a regional approach.
That decision was a disappointment for Renee Dominguez, who has a child within the district. Dominguez was also part of the safety committee. She told ABC15 she will pull her daughter out of the district because of that decision.
“I want school resource officers (SROs). My main concern is my child and I do not feel she’s safe on campus,” she said, adding that her daughter will go to another district with SROs at each school.
Not everyone feels the same way Dominguez does, though.
Poder in Action, a local organization that says its mission is to “build power to disrupt and dismantle systems of oppression and determine a liberated future as people of color in Arizona,” believes having police on campus does not solve any issues.
“I don’t think people realize what jeopardy they’re putting students in. Not just by police presence, but this culture of policing presence. It’s not preventative in any way, it’s completely reactionary,” said Shalae Flores, with the group.
However, the organization feels some stipulations the board approved created a middle ground.
The board agreed to have the district create a confidential safety complaint process to give students, staff and families an avenue to report any misconduct from the safety team or law enforcement.
The district will also have to create a voluntary, student-led group to put together a “Student Bill of Rights.” The PXU Wellness and Safety Plan indicates that a group of students needs to figure out “what rights students already have, additional student rights not currently provided by the district, and how to improve communication about student rights to the student body.”
“We need to take the time to listen to students, that they know their rights and know they’re worthy of growth,” Flores said.
Dominguez, however, is against the Student Bill of Rights. She said, "Kids are just that: kids, and they shouldn’t make these decisions."
“We as parents are legally responsible for our children until they are 18 years old. Anytime an incident happens on campus, we have to go there. Any type of disciplinary has to go through us… I’m not in agreement with it,” said Dominguez.
While neither side is too happy with the decision, they each feel like it is a step in the right direction in their own regard.
“I feel like it’s a starting ground. I wouldn’t say a middle ground. Let’s start and work forward,” added Dominguez.
The City of Phoenix will also need to approve the agreement.
