CVUSD board cuts school resource officers
The Coachella Valley Unified School District is cutting ties with the school resource officers contracted through the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
It was a contentious meeting between CVUSD board members, deciding to renew a contract, which would transition from three SROs to two. Those officers were meant to relocate to Coachella Valley High School and Desert Mirage High School. The board says they were informed this is where the most serious calls to police are made.
Four of the six board members voted against renewing the contract, which was costing more than $300,000.
“For me to hear that we’ll have better response time if we pay $300,000, that doesn’t cut it to me either and so when I think too, of the school to prison pipeline and I can’t think of a better image of a school to prison pipeline than having a sheriff in our school,” Neftali Galarza, a CVUSD board member, said of the resource.
Fellow board member Maria Muchaca responded to Galarza saying, “Although I appreciate what you’re saying Mr. Galarza, at the same time, I’m thinking of liability, I’m thinking of ensuring the safety of our students and there’s been so much that has happened all over that I know some parents will tell you they feel safe knowing there’s someone there.”
Board president Blanca and board member Machuca were the two who voted in opposition to cutting SROs.
Captain Misty Reynolds of the Sheriff’s Department disagreed with the board’s decision.
“Over the course of the last two years, we’ve responded to over 1,200 calls for service at the schools, the three school officers that were at the schools. That’s 600 per year, so it is a decent amount of calls for service. Those are calls that are generated by the school to the school resource officer currently, now that will fall on the shoulders of officers out on the street,” Reynolds said
Carissa Carrera, president of the Coachella Valley Teacher’s Association, said she is not surprised by the board’s decision.
“They’re taking away a safety net and there’s nothing in place to prevent it,” Carrera said.
Board members discussed transitioning toward a restorative justice approach which would implement programs on campus to minimize violence and encourage better relationships between students.
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