Minneapolis Teachers, Parents Demand Input In The Replacement Of School Resource Officers
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A group of parents and teachers wants to help Minneapolis Public Schools with hiring school resource officer replacements.
The district's board voted to remove the officers earlier this summer after the killing of George Floyd. MPS is now replacing them with "public safety support specialists."
According to the job description posted on the MPS website, applicants are required to have a background in law enforcement.
Those attending Sunday's rally, including Whittier International Elementary employee Rajel Johnson, say that is not what they want for their students.
"Who are they gonna call when there's a serious situation at the high school level? They're gonna call us … but they're gonna end up calling the police anyway. Who are these people? Where are they from?" Johnson said. "And then one of your requirements is that they have a criminal justice degree. OK, listen here. There are only two people who go to college to get a criminal justice degree -- those who want to be cops, or those who want to work with the cops."
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The purpose of the new specialists is to act as a bridge between students and law enforcement. The hiring process for these positions was scheduled to end Sunday.