Resource officers discussed at JCPS meeting as mom of teen arrested for fighting a teacher speaks out

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Jefferson County Public Schools are without school resource officers this year as videos of fights have gone viral online.

The effectiveness of law enforcement in schools and their place in JCPS moving forward was a big talker during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s board of education meeting. It was the first meeting held since a fight between a teacher and a student at Iroquois High that was caught on cell phone video went viral.

The mother of the 14-year-old student arrested after the fight was among a handful of community members who spoke up about school resource officers at the meeting.

“It shouldn’t take a police officer to come and snatch a child up out of class, especially if they’re black or brown,” Kenya Jennings said. “You already have the instinct in your head to harm the student, because all you see is color. So, with that being said, I just wish you all would look into it better and provide more resources and counseling and anything else but SROs.”

There’s no shortage of viewpoints on the topic of officers in schools. Others who spoke up urged the board to get creative and come up with other ways to keep kids safe, including more de-escalation training for teachers.

The board can’t respond directly to public comment.

JCPS is still in the process of building an in-house security team, which is on track to be in the district’s schools by February.

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