% DREAMS."
% >> THIS WEEK THE MADISON SCHOOL
% BOARD VOTED TO REMOVE POLICE
% OFFICERS FROM ITS SCHOOLS.
% IT'S ONE OF THE DEMANDS OF
% PROTESTERS, WHO SAY
% AFRICAN-AMERICANS CAN FEEL
% THREATENED BY THEIR PRESENCE.
% EARLIER TODAY WE SPOKE WITH
% SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT GLORIA
% REYES, WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO BE A
% FORMER POLICE OFFICER.
% THANKS FOR JOINING US.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO WHY DID YOU VOTE IN FAVOR
% OF REMOVING POLICE RESOURCE
% OFFICERS FROM MADISON'S HIGH
% SCHOOLS?
% >> YOU KNOW, IT WAS A REALLY
% DIFFICULT DECISION.
% YOU KNOW, AFTER GEORGE FLOYD'S
% MURDER BY A POLICE OFFICER, IT
% REALLY CHANGED THE ENVIRONMENT
% THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND HERE
% LOCALLY.
% I LEARNED EARLY ON SHORTLY
% THEREAFTER THAT I LOST THE
% MAJORITY OF BOARD MEMBERS'
% SUPPORT TO KEEP SROs IN OUR
% SCHOOLS.
% AND I HAD TO SET MY PERSONAL AND
% PROFESSIONAL THOUGHTS ABOUT OUR
% POLICE OFFICERS IN SCHOOLS AND
% LISTEN TO MY COLLEAGUES AND THE
% MANY VOICES IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO
% WERE ADVOCATING TO REMOVE OUR
% OFFICERS FROM OUR SCHOOLS.
% WHILE I KNOW THAT OUR MADISON
% POLICE DEPARTMENT, SROs
% PARTICULARLY, HAVE PROVIDED OUR
% SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS MANY
% BENEFITS THAT HAVE BUILT TRUST
% AND RELATIONSHIPS AND OUR
% MADISON POLICE OFFICER OFFICERS
% SERVE OUR COMMUNITY EVERY DAY
% WITH INTEGRITY AND COMPASSION, I
% KNOW THAT, BECAUSE I SERVED AND
% WORKED ALONGSIDE MANY OF THEM.
% I ALSO FELT THAT THE COMBINATION
% OF THE RACIALLY-MOTIVATED
% INCIDENTS IN OUR COUNTRY HAS
% SERVED REALLY TO INCREASE THE
% EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
% IMPACT OF HAVING SROs --
% HAVING SROs IN OUR SCHOOLS AND
% HAD -- AND THE IMPACT THAT IT
% HAD ON OUR STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY
% OUR STUDENTS OF COLOR.
% SO AS A RESULT I FELT WE OWED IT
% TO THEM TO PURSUE A VIABLE
% ALTERNATIVE TO SROs.
% WE HAVE UTILIZED POLICE OFFICERS
% WHO RESPOND TO EVERY SOCIETAL
% CHALLENGE, AND WE NEED TO STOP
% PLACING OUR OFFICERS IN THOSE
% POSITIONS, INVEST IN RESOURCES
% THAT GET TO THE ROOT CAUSES OF
% VIOLENCE AND PUBLIC SAFETY
% CHALLENGES INSTEAD OF RELYING ON
% OUR OFFICERS AND PLACE THEM IN
% THESE POSITIONS TO SOLVE A LOT
% OF OUR COMPLEX SOCIETAL
% CHALLENGES.
% SO CONSIDERING THE INCIDENTS OF
% RACIAL INJUSTICE OUR NATION HAS
% EXPERIENCED AND AS MMSD
% CONTINUED PLANNING FOR THE
% REOPENING OF SCHOOLS FOR THIS
% FALL, I FELT THAT THE TIMING WAS
% RIGHT.
% IT GIVES US SOME TIME FOR THE
% BOARD OF EDUCATION TO
% INCORPORATE A STRATEGY OF
% OPTIONS TO REMOVE SROs FROM
% OUR SCHOOL.
% AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY
% COMPLEX TIMES, AS YOU KNOW.
% AND HAVING LASTING AND PAINFUL
% MEMORIES FOR OUR STUDENTS AND
% STAFF AND FELT IT WAS TIME TO
% PRESS HARDER TO DISMANTLE THE
% SYSTEMS THAT PERPETUATE RACISM
% AND CREATE NEW STRUCTURES, AVOID
% HARMFUL INEQUITIES AND WITH THE
% WELL-BEING OF EVERY STUDENT AT
% THE CENTER.
% AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO
% THAT, RIGHT, NOT ONLY WITHIN OUR
% LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSION, BUT
% ALSO WITHIN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL
% SYSTEM.
% >> I KNOW THAT YOU WERE JUST
% SAYING THAT THE STUDENT RESOURCE
% OFFICERS PROVIDE A LOT OF
% DIFFERENT SERVICES OTHER THAN
% JUST BEING KIND OF PEACEKEEPERS
% OR, YOU KNOW, DEALING WITH
% ISSUES WITHIN A SCHOOL.
% IN FACT, SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING,
% OKAY, IF YOU REMOVE THESE
% OFFICERS FROM THE SCHOOLS, THEN
% YOU REALLY NEED TO BACKFILL WITH
% THINGS LIKE SOCIAL WORKERS AND
% PSYCHOLOGISTS, COUNSELORS AND
% NURSES.
% IS THAT IN THE PLANNING IN TERMS
% OF TRYING TO REPLACE ALL OF THE
% THINGS THAT THESE OFFICERS
% PROVIDED IN THE SCHOOLS?
% >> YEAH.
% I MEAN, THAT HAS TO BE PART OF
% THE PLAN.
% WE HAD -- WE HAD RELIED ON
% OFFICERS TO BE SOCIAL WORKERS,
% MENTAL HEALTH WORKERS, WHEN THEY
% CAN'T DO THAT.
% WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE OUR BUDGET
% AROUND SOCIAL SERVICE
% OPPORTUNITIES AND SERVICES TO
% OUR STUDENTS.
% AND SO WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE
% TO INVEST OUR FUND IN A
% DIFFERENT WAY TO PROVIDE THOSE
% MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL,
% EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR
% OUR STUDENTS.
% >> AND SO ARE THERE THOSE FUND
% WITHIN THE DISTRICT TO DO THAT?
% >> WE WILL -- CURRENTLY, RIGHT
% NOW, WE ARE WAITING FOR THE
% STATE BUDGET, AND SO WE DON'T
% HAVE ANYTHING SET IN PLACE RIGHT
% NOW.
% BUT THAT IS GOING TO BE OUR
% PRIORITY.
% YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT OUR
% MADISON TEACHERS UNION DID COME
% OUT AND HAD SUPPORTED REMOVING
% SROs OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS IF WE
% WERE ABLE TO COME UP WITH AN
% ADDITIONAL 33 STAFF PEOPLE.
% AND I CAN'T SAY EITHER WAY RIGHT
% NOW.
% HOWEVER, WE'RE CONSIDERING A
% VARIETY OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES.
% WE ARE, LIKE I SAID, CURRENTLY
% WAITING FOR THE BUDGET REPAIR
% BILL FROM THE STATE, AND IT'S
% UNLIKELY, THOUGH, THAT WE WILL
% BE ABLE TO HIRE ANYWHERE NEAR
% THAT AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL STAFF
% IN TIME.
% BUT WE ANTICIPATE -- BECAUSE WE
% ANTICIPATE SOME BUDGET
% REDUCTIONS.
% HOWEVER, I THINK WE HAVE TO
% FIGURE OUT AND BE INNOVATIVE AND
% DIVERT CURRENT RESOURCES TO
% THESE SUPPORT SERVICES.
% >> YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE HAVE
% SAID THAT IN FACT
% NOTWITHSTANDING EVERYTHING WE'VE
% BEEN TALKING ABOUT, THESE
% OFFICERS IN THE SCHOOLS HAD BEEN
% ABLE TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND
% PROVIDE AS ROLE MODELS TO SOME
% STUDENTS.
% WHAT ABOUT THE LOSS OF THAT?
% >> IT'S GOING TO BE A BIG LOSS.
% IT IS.
% I THINK THEY HAVE -- THEY WERE
% ONE COMPONENT OF OUR SAFETY AND
% SECURITY PLAN.
% THEY WERE ABLE TO BUILD
% RELATIONSHIPS, AS YOU SAID,
% DEESCALATE SITUATIONS, OFFER
% FAMILY AND TRAINING SUPPORT.
% AND SO THEY HAVE PROVIDED GREAT
% SERVICE TO OUR STUDENTS AT OUR
% COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOLS.
% AND I THINK WE'RE JUST GOING TO
% HAVE TO REIMAGINE WHAT OUR
% PUBLIC SAFETY LOOKS LIKE RIGHT
% NOW.
% WE HAVE TO PUT OUR STUDENTS,
% PARTICULARLY OUR STUDENTS OF
% COLOR, AT THE CENTER AND TO BE
% ABLE TO LEAD US TO A SOLUTION.
% LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS A -- HAS
% BEEN PLACED IN POSITIONS THAT
% HAS CAUSED HARM
% DISPROPORTIONATELY FOR OUR
% PEOPLE OF COLOR AND WE HAVE TO
% RECOGNIZE THAT ON RE-INVENTING
% WHAT PUBLIC SAFETY LOOKS LIKE IN
% OUR SCHOOLS.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% GLORIA REYES, WE NEED TO LEAVE
% IT THERE.
% THANK