About the Task Force

Meeting Agendas & Notes

Task Force Members

School Safety Review Timeline

About the Task Force

The CHCCS School Board voted to establish a School Safety Task Force at its July 23, 2020, meeting. The impetus for the vote was responding to various stakeholders’ concerns about the renewal of the School Resource Officer (SRO) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which lapsed on June 30, 2020. The Board received hundreds of communications before the July 2020 meeting from both supporters and critics of the SRO program. Backers cited the responsibilities of SROs in building relationships with students, educating them about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and weapons, and their role in ensuring physical safety and security. Those in opposition to the SRO program pointed to the over-policing of schools, the negative social and emotional impact on students of color, and the lack of documented effectiveness as reasons to eliminate the program. In many ways, the discourse about SROs in schools reflected the national dialogue about defining community safety and security and the best methods for creating engaging and welcoming environments for all.

In May 2021, after reviewing task force challenges, the administration reorganized its scope and structure to define the group’s work and goals. The original task force was divided into three areas:

  1. strategies for safer schools,
  2. mental health and trauma-informed schools, and 
  3. student agency for safer schools. 

The central organizing question guiding each area’s work is, what do students and staff need to feel and be safe in CHCCS? 

Resources

  • School Safety Task Force Overview – Link
  • SRO Interim Agreement – Link
  • Community Transparency & Accountability Document – Link