Jim Kenyon: On school cop, Lebanon board is punting like it’s 1999
Modified: 5/15/2021 11:01:56 PM
I’m still trying to figure out why the Lebanon School Board caved so badly when it came time Wednesday to vote on allowing an armed police officer to continue patrolling school hallways.
The board had an opportunity to show real leadership by declaring that schools and police aren’t a healthy mix.
Instead, it punted.
Seven board members Chairman Dick Milius, Martha DiDomenico, Tammy Begin, Aaron Mills, Stephen Kantor, Lilian Maughan and Lisa Vallejo Sorensen voted to fund the school resource officer’s position for another year.
Lebanon keeps school resource officer, for now
Published: 5/14/2021 6:03:38 PM
LEBANON School officials have decided to maintain Lebanon’s school resource officer position while an outside firm studies issues regarding equity and race within the city’s schools.
The Lebanon School Board voted, 7-1, Wednesday night to fund the police post for the 2021-2022 school year and also seek an equality assessment that could help guide future decisions.
That study would be due by Nov. 1, in time for the School Board’s budget talks for the 2022-2023 school year.
The School Board’s decision came almost two hours into a meeting where speakers overwhelmingly called on officials to stop spending on the school resource officer post.
LEBANON School officials have decided to maintain Lebanon’s school resource officer position while an outside firm studies issues regarding equity and race within the city’s schools.The Lebanon School Board voted, 7-1, Wednesday night to fund the.
Column: Schools are no place for armed police
Modified: 5/9/2021 10:00:03 PM
It has come to my attention that there was some confusion regarding where the Lebanon Education Association stands on the issue of the school resource officer position. The LEA was never supportive of the school resource officer position from when it was forced upon us in the aftermath of the Columbine tragedy. In June, the LEA executive board agreed that our schools are no place for an armed police officer, which is the same position we took over 20 years ago.
The murder of George Floyd reinforced our resolve that Lebanon School District money would be better spent on increasing support for our students. One multiple occasions, we expressed this concern to the superintendent and the School Board, including a brief statement read to the school board in the fall
Column: Police in schools don’t make them safer
Steve Nelson
Modified: 5/7/2021 10:10:03 PM
On Wednesday, the Lebanon School Board will finally vote on the matter of continuing to include a school resource officer in the budget. It will be fascinating to see how the controversy is resolved.
Valley News columnist Jim Kenyon and staff writer Tim Camerato have done a fine job framing the issue. To say the community is divided is an understatement. The vote on the nonbinding referendum was inconclusive (1,011 to 1,006) and, according to reports, letters and other public comment has been similarly divided.
As head of a New York independent school for 19 years and as a frequent visitor and “principal for a day” at a number of public schools in Harlem and the Bronx, I have relevant experience.