CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- It appears a proposal before the Chicago City Council to stop assigning police to the city's public schools has been sidelined.
A proposed ordinance to ban the assignment of Chicago police officers in the city's public schools might never get a chance to pass after an alderman used a parliamentary maneuver Wednesday to move it out of the committee its sponsor wanted it to be considered in.
South Side Ald. Roderick Sawyer wanted his ordinance to end the $33 million deal between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department to station officers in schools to go to the council’s Public Safety Committee.
But that committee’s chairman, Ald. Chris Taliaferro, 29th, requested it be sent to the Education Committee instead.
Once two committees get called for an ordinance, it gets sent to the Rules Committee for a final decision on placement. City Hall insiders said that type of move is usually designed to prevent an ordinance from passing.
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Mayor Lightfoot opposes the ordinance, and has repeatedly said she believes schools need police to keep them safe.
In a conference call with reporters after the City Council meeting, Mayor Lightfoot said she believes the decision on whether police should be assigned to schools should be left up to individual schools, not City Hall.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for me or any member of City Council to usurp the authority of the duly elected local school council,” Lightfoot said. "Local school councils have the option to determine for themselves whether or not they want any CPD presence in their schools, and that in my view is where it should sit."
The Mayor said Local School Councils are elected members, that represent parents and other stakeholders in the schools.
"I think they are in a very good position to make the determination in whether or not that is something that they want," she said.
The proposed ordinance that would order Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown to end the deal that assigns police to schools within 75 days.