Wake County school board addresses concerns brought up about SROs

All middle and high schools in the Wake County Public School System have their own SRO. It’s a controversial topic, as some activists want the school system to end its relationship with law enforcement agencies.

There are more than 70 school resource officers in the district, including at least one in every middle and high school and some in elementary schools. In the wake of protests over police brutality towards minorities, school leaders want to improve the relationship between SROs and students.

"This summer showed us that students do not feel greater protection when they have SROs," said school board member Christine Kushner. "We need to have greater conversations in our community."

Activists have been calling for the end of school policing contracts. A Change.org petition has nearly 7,000 signatures of people who want the school system to get rid of SROs, claiming they disproportionately target Black and brown students.

Russ Smith, the school district’s director of security, highlighted the important role SROs play in schools during a meeting by the board on Tuesday.

"The majority of the training is provided in-house by different agencies," Smith said. "We provide a couple of sessions a year where we do address different issues, whether it's something from student support services or de-escalation or dealing with special-needs children."

Wake County's schools have seen a drop in student referrals from school resource officers over the past four school years, going from 871 referrals in 2016-17 to 409 referrals this past school year. Data shows Black students make up the majority of the referrals, even though they account for a quarter of enrollment within the district.

The Wake County Public School System renewed its agreement with the county’s law enforcement agencies for a year. The district usually agrees to a three-year term, but the district wants to get feedback from the community before approving another contract.