Advocates for youth on Tuesday criticized new regulations proposed by the state’s Peace Officer Standards & Training Commission, saying they don’t do enough to ensure that students aren’t unfairly criminalized by school police.
Leon Smith, executive director of Citizens for Juvenile Justice, shared his concerns that the proposal doesn't explicitly define the role of "school resource officers," or school police, despite efforts by state lawmakers to ensure safety and a positive school environment for all students.
“It excludes the clear parameters ... mandating that school resource officers shall not serve as school disciplinarians, enforce school regulations, or in place of licensed school psychologists, psychiatrists or counselors,” he said. “Nor should they use police powers to address traditional school discipline issues, including non-violent, disruptive behavior.”
The POST Commission proposed regulations for certifying school resource officers and invited public comment on the proposal. It was unclear from the meeting when the regulations would be finalized.
Groups including the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, the Committee for Public Counsel Services and the nonprofit Strategies for Youth were among those who requested changes.
Research has shown that school police are overwhelmingly assigned to schools predominantly attended by students of color, contributing to increased rates of arrest and what has been coined the "school-to-prison pipeline."
Jay Blitzman, interim executive director of the Massachusetts Advocates for Children and a former juvenile court judge in Lowell, said the proposed rules risk setting Massachusetts back.
"I would urge you as a group to look at this issue ... through a lens of racial and ethnic equity," he said. "The unintended consequences without ... the training and certification, I think will result in very foreseeable and negative consequences in the criminalization of adolescents and children."
Dennis Galvin, president of the Massachusetts Association for Professional Law Enforcement, a group of retired and current police officers as well as criminal justice educators, said school violence is "a real and current threat."
Galvin also said the nature of police work is evolving and that school resource officers could benefit from additional education. He asked the commission to require a two-year college degree for anyone in the school police role at minimum.
"The [school resource officer] position would be a very specialized position requiring exceptional scrutiny. And we would agree with those who have said that it would require a high level of suitability," he said.
The commissioners' next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 13.
