GREENFIELD — Months after eight students were arrested following a fight at the high school in March, the School Committee has asked for continued input in drafting a new school resource officer Memorandum of Understanding.
The current agreement between Greenfield Public Schools, the District Attorney’s Office and the Police Department outlines general policies such as reporting procedures, mandatory reportable acts and alternative punishment measures, but doesn’t describe in detail the role and expectations of the school resource officer.
Desire for clarification on the school resource officer role stems from the altercation between a few students and the resource officer in March, which ended in the arrests of five students for disrupting a school in session as well as one for fighting, one for resisting arrest and another for attacking the officer.
“When the incident occurred this past spring, I was very troubled about the resource officer’s role,” said Molly Chambers, a member of the commission who has worked in education and mental health, adding that in the case of the spring arrests, the school’s conflict resolution programs didn’t have a chance to work.
One of the programs Chambers referred to is the Restorative Justice initiative, a program started about two years ago as a way to mediate student conflict and minimize judicial penalties.
In the months since the incident, the School Committee has worked to re-draft the memorandum.
On Wednesday, committee members were scheduled to vote on a proposed draft of the memorandum; however, after hearing from the Human Rights Commission, District Attorney David E. Sullivan, and Police Chief Robert H. Haigh Jr., who all agreed the current draft agreement needs further work, the committee decided to table and continue to revise the draft.
Following the vote, members asked for continued help from the police chief, the District Attorney the Human Rights Commission, and others who are interested in the school’s success.
“We have the opportunity to make a broad document,” commented School Committee Chairman Timothy Farrell, who expressed that putting off the vote is also a chance to reach out to more people and ask for diversified input.
When it’s completed, officials expect that the agreement will lay out in writing exactly what the role and purpose of the School Resource Officer is, and set clear expectations as to what the officer’s responsibilities and duties are.
Among the revision recommendations to the most recent draft, Sullivan voiced that the document should have a good way to record data, so that school officials can document how the policing program is working, and make adjustments accordingly.
“We only want to arrest as a last resort,” Sullivan continued. “I think we have a great working document, and it’ll be the best in the state when all is said and done.”
Rachel Silverman, a member of the Human Rights Commission and current teacher, added that the document should also clearly define who’s responsible for elevating action taken by the resource officer.
“We were also concerned that there wasn’t a clear delineation of responsibility,” Silverman said. “Who determines when things have escalated to criminal? We’re not saying that should never happen, but it should be clear who makes that decision.”
The new memorandum is expected to be voted into action by the end of the year.
You can reach Andy Castillo at: acastillo@recorder.com
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