Superintendent Perry and Board Agree with Concerns
In this email response from Superintendent Christy Perry, she discusses the resolution to hire a sworn police officer, and the decision that she and the Salem Keizer School District School Board made. They listened to the concerns voiced by SKCE and several other groups and took the information very seriously.
As I shared last week, I truly appreciate the time you took to come to our board meeting and share your concerns around the resolution to authorize SKPS as a law enforcement agency. Tonight, after reflecting on your comments and meeting with a group of community leaders, I am requesting the resolution be withdrawn.
The recommendation to withdraw the resolution was advocated for by members of the NAACP, Mano a Mano, Latinos Unidos Siempre, faith leaders, educators, parents and students. Board Chair Kathy Goss and Vice-Chair Sheronne Blasi joined in the dialogue.
The Salem-Keizer Public Schools (SKPS) Office of Safety and Risk Management will move forward hiring for the position of security manager, which was vacated in June. In keeping with its previous role, it will not be filled by a sworn officer. The security manager will support the threat prevention system, advise staff on operational security, support building staff on security-related issues and serve as a liaison with local law enforcement agencies who staff school resource officers.
The school district will continue examining avenues to better perform in-depth background checks as needed for staff and volunteers.
Thank you to Superintendent Perry and the School Board for being so responsive to concerns voiced by citizen advocates.
