Chicago School Board Rejects Plan To Remove Police From Schools
- Decision breaks with cities such as Minneapolis, Seattle
- Local councils can decide whether or not to use officers: CEO
Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
The Chicago Board of Education on Wednesday narrowly upheld its agreement with the city’s police department to station officers in schools amid broader calls nationwide to reform public safety and curb systemic racism.
The board voted 4 to 3 against terminating a $33 million agreement with the city and its police department that puts officers in schools for safety and security. Calls to remove officers have grown amid outrage across the country over the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died under the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis. Earlier this month, the Minneapolis Board of Education voted to end the district’s contract with the police department. Schools in Portland, Oregon and Seattle have followed.