On The Matter of SROs

By Emily Rivera

The existence of Student Resource Officers has always been controversial to students, staff, and parents. SROs have been active in schools since the 1950s but did not start to become more common until the late 90s due to an increased prevalence of school shootings, like the Columbine massacre. However, after the death of George Floyd in 2020, a question arose: should schools be police-free? For many students, the answer is yes. Across the nation, students are fighting to remove armed police officers from schools, despite facing widespread opposition from parents. In Montgomery County, student protests and advocacy proved to be effective. At the start of the 2021-2022 school year, Montgomery County Public Schools welcomed back students and teachers, but for the first time in 19 years, not SROs.

The fact of the matter is that SROs have had a long history of discriminating against minorities and students with disabilities, specifically Black and Latinx students. In fact, Black and Latinx students were the most likely to be disciplined, suspended, or arrested by an officer. According to Bethesda Magazine, in the past three years, a total of 382 students were arrested, 83% of which were Black and Hispanic students while only 11% were white students. The police have had a long history of discrimination and cruelty towards people of color, and have perpetuated the school to prison pipeline. This made many students feel uncomfortable that SROs were present in a place where they should be able to learn safely.

“A cop is a cop. A cop is not a mentor. A cop is not a counselor,” Lauren Payne, a student at Richard Montgomery High School, told Bethesda Magazine. “They’re not there to be mentors. They’re not there to help students. They’re there to police students and that’s not what students need.” Students feel strongly about this statement and believe that, instead of SROs, there should be more counselors to help the community address issues regarding racism, mental health, and the pandemic.

Other students and parents, however, believe that SROs protect them. Some even argue SROs can be critical in a life or death situation where first responders do not get to schools in time and it would be detrimental to remove them. Against all odds, the movement to remove Student Resource Officers from MCPS schools was successful. Instead, Community Engagement Officers were put in their place, and many students have been content with that. Staff members and parents are likely to disagree with the change but for now, SROs are no longer in MCPS schools