By Suzie Ziegler
INDIANAPOLIS — A school board in Monroe County, Indiana, voted Tuesday to disarm its police officers in schools. School administrators said their decision came from wanting students to feel welcome.
“For many people, guns signify that we have something to be afraid of,” said board member April Hennessey in an interview with CBS4. “If we say that schools are safe, then we have to lean into that.”
The county school district will still employ school resource officers, but they will no longer be allowed to carry weapons on school property, according to the report.
The decision was met with some criticism.
“Disarming school resource officers prevents them from doing the full weight of responsibility they’ve been asked to do in the schools,” said Chase Lyday with the Indiana SRO Association. “It doesn’t align with best practice.”
Lyday said that he “strongly discourages” school districts from disarming SROs.