CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Chicago Board of Education has narrowly rejected a measure to end its contract with the Chicago Police Department to provide officers at school buildings.
The 4-3 vote came Wednesday after hours of sometimes passionate debate and amid mounting pressure for educators to evict police officers from Chicago Public Schools. Opponents of having cops in schools, including the Chicago Teachers Union, argued that the $33 million for the CPD contract would be better spent on counselors and school nurses.
Critics say having School Resource Officers in schools is the wrong approach as many cities and states re-examine the role that race plays in policing. Some Chicago officers have been accused of brutality or misconduct in schools.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot agrees police reform is needed but said ending the CPS-CPD contract is a bad idea. Janice Jackson, CEO of CPS, has said Local School Councils should decide, individually, whether to have police officers in their schools.
The school board will consider revisions to its contract with the police department later this summer.
