Brandon Johnson, the Democratic mayor of Chicago, expressed to reporters his concurrence with the city’s Board of Education regarding the removal of police officers from secondary schools.
The Chicago Board of Education and the Chicago Police Department have a $10.3 million contract, but the Board wishes to terminate it. This week, Johnson confirmed to the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ that he will authorize the removal of the police.
Johnson opposed officers being on school grounds while running for mayor; however, he changed his mind and stated that local school councils should be responsible for determining whether or not to remove officers once he was sworn in as mayor. However, he has now reversed his position.
Amid the escalating George Floyd protests in 2020, the Chicago Teachers’ Union advocated for the elimination of police presence in schools.
There have been reports circulating since last month that the Chicago Board of Education attempted to strip Local School Councils, which consist of students, parents, and instructors, of the authority to determine whether or not to station school resource officers (SROs) on their campuses.
According to available reports, the Chicago Board of Education is scheduled to hold a vote this summer regarding the renewal of its contract with the CPD.
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