On Monday, the Atlanta school board took the first steps toward replacing the city police officers currently patrolling schools with school resource officers directly accountable to the district.
That would mean ending the district’s $5.6 million contract with the City of Atlanta.
The board voted 7-1 to create several positions in a new safety and security department: an executive director of safety and security, police chief, security operations director and emergency management compliance manager. All will be paid for from the district’s general fund.
The new police officers could be in schools at the start of next school year, district spokeswoman Jill Strickland said.
Board chair Courtney English told WABE Monday he was confident the district would find the money for the new police force in next year's budget. Startup costs could run into the millions.
“We will find the resource to make this effort happen,” he said.
But Rev. Willie Webb told the school board Monday evening that starting a new Atlanta Public Schools police force would be “too disruptive.”
“With all the challenges that you are facing with education, I don’t think you have the time to develop the kind of police department that would be sufficient,” he said.
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