SACRAMENTO, Calif — The Sacramento City Unified School District is mulling over whether or not it will do away with school resource officers as the current contract is set to expire at the end of the school year.
Board officials told ABC10 that they're now studying the possibility of doing away with the positions or restructuring the role the officers play in schools.
READ ALSO: Nearly 200 Sacramento school teachers getting laid off as district attempts to avoid state takeover
The district has asked for input from community stakeholders, including students, parents and administrators. They also got some preliminary feedback from an African American Achievement task force which recommended "divesting from future funding for school resource officers" by September 30, 2019, as one way of tackling a larger concern of "inequitable disciplinary practices."
At the same time, the Sacramento City Unified School District is still making cuts to stop a state takeover. The district has until June to fill a $35 million budget hole. The district tells ABC10 the school resource officer contract comes at a cost of more than $2 million.
However, officials stress this is not solely a budget conversation but a larger discussion about the role of officers in general in a school setting.
If you would like to join the conversation, there is a public meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 16, 2019.
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