Activists push to reduce funding for school resource officers

ORLANDO, Fla. - Only about 30% of students in the Orange County Public School system are doing face-to-face learning, yet the budget for school resource officers (SROs) is increasing.

The school district’s tentative Safe Schools appropriation budget showed a proposed $1.1 million increase for SROs. Opponents believe it is a waste.

“It’s much more useful to put these funds toward resources for students, mental health services, councilors, after school programs, sanitation, and PPE,” said Nushrat Nur, of the Education Justice Alliance. “What are these security resource officers doing exactly in schools that are increasingly empty?”

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Some state lawmakers had similar questions. Orlando Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith wrote the school board a letter raising questions about the increase. He proposes using the funds for mental health resources.

“I’m not in any way proposing we get rid of SROs because they need to be at the schools,” he prefaced. “Our kids are struggling with more emotional and mental health needs as a result of COVID 19 and a result of increased isolation.”

Superintendent Dr. Barbara Jenkins said the funding was needed to comply with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act.

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“Some of the increase has to do with having additional officers available to fill in or sub because you’re supposed to have bell-to-bell coverage of that officer whether it’s a guardian or an SRO,” she said.

Orange County chooses to have SROs over guardians. These additional officers would “float” from school to school if an SRO calls out sick, or is not at the school for any reason.

“It used to be there would be no coverage there. That is not supporting what we are required to do. So now if the officer at school is out sick or for some reason absent, there is a floater usually planted at one of our middle schools, one of our floaters would go cover the school for the day.”

The budget also includes around $1.5 million for mental health resources. Smith said this is a good start.

“While Orange County Public schools is heading in the right direction, they are still falling short of what many of the national benchmarks are for the number of school social workers or school guidance councilors.”

Someone nightside will have to update this after the school board finalizes the budget. I don't know what they will decide.