Arizona’s top schools chief is urging districts to have a school resource officer in every district, saying there’s funding available.
The announcement comes a day before the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) board discusses possibly bringing school resource officers back on campus.
In a Wednesday news conference, Superintendent Tom Horne said 81% of 614 people they surveyed statewide said they support having a police officer at every public school in the state.
A total of 15% said no while 4% said they were unsure.
In Maricopa County, of 405 people surveyed, 78% said they support it.
Some school districts, like the PXU, don’t have school resource officers on campus. The district decided not to renew its contract with the Phoenix Police Department in 2020, wanting to go in a different direction with safety plans.
It’s a decision mother Crystal Sosa is still not happy about.
“I had four kids who came through Cesar Chavez [High School] and all three of my daughters had SROs. So, when my son was on campus without an SRO, I didn’t like it,” Sosa said. “I mean, I know they’re not miracle workers, it’s only one person. But at the same time, with what’s going on in this world, I felt like we need one desperately bad.”
Horne believes there should be officers in every district. So, on Wednesday, he told schools to take advantage of the state-funded grant that helps schools pay for resource officers.
The deadline was originally at the end of this week, however, he said they will extend it another week.
“I don’t want on my watch, or anybody else’s watch for that matter, to see somebody invade a school and shoot people and us have another massacre,” Horne said.
The Arizona Department of Education said there is $50 million available.
That money can go toward SRO and school counselors. However, Horne says he will prioritize the money for SROs. If schools do not have SROs and want the money for counselors instead, Horne said if they have money left over, then it’ll go for counselors.
“I give first priority to school resource officers, but that doesn’t mean I’m against having counselors in the schools. I think kids should have somebody to talk to when they have emotional problems,” Horne said.
It is one thing to have enough funding. It’s another to have enough officers, which local police departments struggle as it is to hire them.
Regardless, the Phoenix Union High School District board is considering bringing SROs back, spending seven months with its safety committee researching different school safety protocols and talking with the community.
Ultimately, that committee says it will recommend the school board put them back in, which some parents feel the money could go elsewhere.
“I think that it’s important for us to think about other resources that money could benefit that would provide a safe environment for children,” said Nichole Cassidy, who has a student within PXU.
On Thursday night, the board will go over the recommendation from the safety committee and it could go in many different directions, including them deciding to accept it, deny it, modify it, or even table the conversation.
The board will also discuss its vendor contract with Phoenix PD in using off-duty police officers. A vote may or may not take place.
