Edmonds School District votes to terminate contract with police
Jun 24, 2020, 10:07 AM
The Edmonds School District is ending its relationship with local police. (Facebook)
(Facebook)
The Edmonds School District board voted Tuesday to terminate its contracts with police departments in Edmonds, Lynnwood, and Mountlake Terrace.
The board made its decision over safety concerns, after hearing from students, staff, families, and community members, and following suit with several school districts across the U.S.
“I am grateful for the Board putting as much time and thought into this topic as they have,” Superintendent Dr. Gustavo Balderas said in a news release. “We agree that student safety is a top priority.”
The district will look to establish new safety guidelines and procedures in the days ahead, sans the assistance of most local enforcement.
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“I look forward to working with the Board to review the overall safety and wellness plans currently in place,” said Dr. Balderas. “I will then work with students, staff, families and community members to propose a new and improved safety plan for all of our students.”
The district will continue to maintain its contract with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Department at least until August, “over concerns of response time to reach Lynnwood High School should there be an emergency.” It will then vote on whether to keep that contract long term.
Edmonds Police Chief Jim Lawless issued a statement Wednesday, saying that he believes “this decision was borne out of emotion, not data, and was hastily undertaken.”
“I am disappointed that this process was not more deliberative and inclusive of all parties involved,” Lawless said.
— Edmondspolice (@EdmondsPolice) June 24, 2020
The existing contract had police operating as School Resource Officers (SRO), a role which many Black Lives Matter protesters have questioned in recent weeks. The Seattle Public School District voted in early June to suspend its relationship with its own police department for a year while it evaluated the role of law enforcement in its schools.
