CINCINNATI, Ohio — The chants for change could be heard loud and clear outside of the Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) district office Monday.
“What do we want? Cops out. When do we want it? Now,” a group of about a dozen Cincinnati Young Activist Coalition members shouted.
The group is rallying to remove police officers from school buildings. It comes as the CPS board prepares to vote on whether to continue to support the Cincinnati Police Department’s School Resource Office Program.
School Resource Officers (SROs) are law enforcement officers on campuses. Monday’s resolution explained the program has been in place for more than 55 years.
Currently, the district and city have a memorandum of understanding. That MOU provides more than one-dozen trained officers in 15 CPS high schools. They also respond to more than 40 CPS elementary schools, and 70 non-CPS schools within Cincinnati.
Bella Gordo, YAC President, said the group is asking the district to terminate the SRO program, “Their job is to criminalize. Their job isn’t to not to be mentors or counselors. Their job is to be police officers. That’s all they’ll ever be.”
The YAC said having police officers in schools perpetuates racial inequities. The group previously released research with the ACLU of Ohio.
Their data found Black students in CPS were six times more likely to receive an out-of-school suspension and eight times more likely to be expelled without instruction.
The YAC is demanding more restorative justice practices and the expansion of CPS investments in student mental health.
Under the current MOU, CPD holds absolute power as to the number, identity, and placement of SROs, and they aren’t required to report any statistics about law enforcement interactions with students.
Part of Monday’s resolution included a requirement for the district to engage in periodic reviews of the program.
Students with the YAC challenged board members during the public comments portion of Monday’s meeting.
A 2021 ACLU study found 273 arrests were made, and more than 400 CPS students report having negatively interacted with the justice system.
That report filed black students as making up 63% of the CPS population; however, black students account for 93% of out-of-school suspensions. Black students are also five times more likely to face discipline than their white peers.
Opponents to the resolution said SROs don’t prevent school shootings.
“They don’t increase school safety,” Gordo said. "There’s no data to suggest they do. There’s data to suggest they’re creating harm in the district."
A 2019 study from the Journal of Adolescent Health analyzed 179 shootings in schools. It found no evidence that the presence of SROs lessened the severity of school shootings.
A 2021 JAMA Network study found the rate of deaths in school shootings was 2.83 times greater in schools with armed security guards.
Monday’s resolution was approved by the school board with a vote of 6-1. The lone no vote came from board member Mike Moroski.
“I’m not there. I haven’t gotten there over the past few years,” he added. “I haven’t seen compelling data to make me want to vote yes on this.”
Board President Ben Lindy cited focus groups gathered by CPS which featured principals, teachers, students, and parents. He said the majority of those polled in the focus groups wanted SROs.
He, along with other board members, thanked the student activists for their engagement.
“There are very real pieces of this resolution that are directly informed by the student activism,” he said.
Board member Kareem Moncree-Moffett, PhD, said the small, yet vocal activist group was heard loud and clear.
“You haven’t been ignored at all. We’ve listened to you. Just because it isn’t the result you want doesn’t mean we’re not listening. Your voices do matter,” said Moncree-Moffett.
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