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Denver Public Schools To Host Discussions About Whether To Keep School Resource Officers

DENVER (CBS4) - The death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer is prompting a bigger discussion about the presence of police in schools. Denver Public Schools says it will host a series of discussions about the issue before deciding how to move forward in the fall.

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School board member Tay Anderson is among those calling for the removal of school resource officers in their schools.

"I would like for the Denver Police Department and Denver Public Schools to end their contract," he said on Wednesday afternoon.

Anderson says the district needs to take bold steps in response to what has happened in Denver over the last six days, referring to police action against those protesting the death of George Floyd in Denver.

His hope is they would be replaced by restorative justice coordinators, mental health specialists and additional nurses.

"Right now my concern is projecting the school-to-prison pipeline and pushing it to where more black and brown kids are being... put with tickets and in trouble and we don't want that in Denver Public Schools," Anderson said.

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Stacey Collis worked as a school resource officer for 20 years and is now an instructor for the National Association of School Resource Officers. He says training is largely focused on mental health and counseling, and that their job goes far beyond policing students.

"They automatically assume, and they don't have the understanding -- they say, 'Well, it's a police officer in the school.' They think they are going to stand at the corner with an AR-15 making sure hallways are safe. It's not. It's communicating with kids. It's being on campus and talking with kids," he said.

He also raises concerns about overall student safety.

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"We talk about emergency operation plans. We talk about school safety plans, and having that understanding. And it goes beyond just a school shooting. It can be a gas leak, a serious accident on the street near the school," Collis said. "We bring a different set of tools to that discussion."

Denver Public Schools is planning to hold a series of discussions with board members as well as stakeholders and community groups throughout the summer before drafting a resolution about how to move forward next fall.

"I'm confident that we'll be able to do something that the nation is going to turn their eyes to come September," Anderson said.

When it comes to those safety concerns, Anderson believes that police will still be able to quickly respond to any incidents at their schools.

DPS will lay out a timeline about those discussions on Friday morning.

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