CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Mayor Brandon Johnson says the Chicago Board of Education's plan to end having police officers inside schools doesn't mean there won't be security personnel.
Johnson says there are still about three dozen Chicago Public Schools that have school resource officers assigned. But, he says the school board's decision to end the SRO contract with the police department doesn't mean no security.
"The board's decision to move away from SROs is really about how do we create a holistic approach towards community safety within inside schools…If schools want security guards or if they want restorative justice practitioners, those dollars could be made available.
He says school officials should have relationships with local police commanders to ensure that there are officers on hand, for example, when the children are arriving at school and heading home.
"Public safety is the number one priority in the city of Chicago. What we have to do is provide a real holistic approach to creating an environment that does just that…Resources will be available for local schools to make a decision of how they want dollars to be distributed," Johnson added.
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