To respond to Erin Stojan's question and comment more broadly: No, the School Board does not under our current contract with the St. Paul Police Department (to provide School Resource Officers in our secondary schools) have any authority over what tools/weapons they carry nor what they use on whom and under what circumstances. Those are covered by protocols, training, and rules for them as police officers in general, and additional training associated with serving as SROs.
I have run already some questions about this through the superintendent's office, and will ask more along the lines of the issues raised in the last few days on this list and reported in the media. Of note, too, is the fact that Mpls police officers do not carry tasers (though I am certainly NOT suggesting they are in general a group that our police dept should model). All this, then, takes me back to the issue of cops carrying guns, which I think are even more ill-suited to school situations than tasers...but at the same time I know they're also "standard issue" and also not being used on our kids. So the circle comes back 'round and I remain unsatisfied with any answer. So I will do what I typically do in such a situation and ask more questions before proceeding further. In the meantime, I would encourage people to contact the office of Chief John Harrington (the SPPD web site lists 266-5588) or juvenile Commander Tim Lynch (website lists 266-5612 for juvenile) to make them aware of your questions and concerns. Thanks. -- Anne Carroll, St. Paul School Board ------------------------------------------------------------ Anne R. Carroll Carroll, Franck & Associates Public Involvement, Strategic Planning, Communications 1357 Highland Parkway St. Paul, MN 55116 USA [EMAIL PROTECTED] 651-690-9162 School Board: 651-690-9156 "The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice." -- Martin Luther King, Jr. "...You will be more credible and you will be more powerful if you do not separate the lives you live from the words you speak." -- Paul Wellstone "A politician worries about the next election. A true states[wo]man worries about the next generation, and children yet unborn." - e.e. cummings _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [email protected] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
