Thread by @SURJ_NoVa

We’re at the SRO (school resource officer) review committee meeting. The committee meeting Monday was cancelled. Superintendent & FCPD Chief Roessler rejected the proposal to edit line by line & are presenting a new draft of the Memorandum of Understanding they edited themselves.

@nakasec already told us almost all of their comments/edits were rejected in this draft. Other committee members are frustrated that they’ve participated in this show but weren’t really listened to in the process. It’s a sham they call this community engagement. #NoCopsInSchools

Shirley Ginwright thanks committee members for their 52 pages of comments and edits. Says this meeting will be a walkthrough of the entire draft and then they will hear comments at the end of the meeting. #NoCopsInSchools

Roessler begins by saying police don’t have control over who gets diverted because their hands are tied by the law and they don’t always have discretion. He goes on to talk at length about how victims have the right to prosecute. #NoCopsInSchools

Roessler says “we’re trying not to do law enforcement actions in the school” so why does this MOU repeatedly say “the primary role...is as a law enforcement officer.” #NoCopsInSchools

Roessler has been publicly disparaging @FairfaxNAACP for pointing out the racial disparities in school policing. He just issued a word salad/non-apology where he did he retracted calling them “unethical” but reiterated his opposition to the data. #NoCopsInSchools

Roessler claims disabled students in school will be safe with CIT (crisis intervention) trained officers. Ask #NatashaMcKenna #PaulGianelos #ChristopherPaul #AmayaGomez how well that training served them when county LEOs killed them while they were in crisis. #Copaganda

Braband and Roessler have become chummy. He says the committee needs to move quickly in order to train principals and SROs in the next few months. Again, we’ve never seen the schools nor the cops move this fast. They’re skipping over the proposed feedback process #NoCopsInSchools

Sharon Bulova says they’ve had some good discussion around this table. Recap:
Meeting 1: Braband and Roessler essentially read current MOU out loud. A few minutes of Q&A from committee before they’re dismissed to review it at home.

Meeting 2: Committee looks at the preamble for almost an hour, wondering aloud where their comments were ignored. Arguments about how revisions will take place. Members are promised an additional meeting to go over changes.

Meeting 3: didn’t happen. Cancelled abruptly.
Meeting 4: Superintendent and Chief Roessler make whatever changes they wanted, ignored bulk of feedback from the committee. Bulova says the committee is not voting to move this forward. It’s moving forward whether they want it or not

.@nakasec points out that the majority of their recommendations were not included at all & none included salient points. Requested that the document explicitly say it’s an “interim document” to be modified. Denied by Ginwright & @SharonBulova.

@nakasec calls for language specifying this as an “interim MOU” that this document will be further revised by the committee. The suggestion is outright rejected. Bulova emphasizes the MOU is out of the committee’s hands and they are powerless to make more changes

ACLU People Power is upset there’s no language in here protecting kids from immigration enforcement. Ginwright says it’s unnecessary but families are being separated because of interaction with SROs. She’s cut off and Ginwright moves on.

SEPTA challenges Roessler that SROs aren’t trained on CIT, asks for autism training specifically. He cuts her off, interrupts and says the state prohibits him from CIT training more officers. SEPTA says she’s not asking about CIT. #NoCopsInSchools

FCPD Officers killed #PaulGianelos, an autistic person, and they think we can trust them to work with autistic kids? NO. #NoCopsInSchools

SEPTA raises again the MOU blurs the lines between “security” when it comes to searches. Adds there’s nothing in this document re: students will be informed of their rights before questioning, wants written assurance parents present before questioned by SROs. #NoCopsInSchools

@nakasec raises concerns that this language is dense/difficult for foreign-language speakers to understand. Sharon Bulova says “this MOU is not for the public.” NAKASEC calls for a stakeholder group to hold police & school system accountable, write this agreement #NoCopsInSchools

@nakasec is recommending language for the stakeholder group to be included in the MOU, which would include a complaint process. They have a thorough proposal that was sent after the very first committee meeting.

Ginwright suggests parents use the toothless Civilian Review Panel

Ginwright: The superintendent and police Chief didn’t have to include committees comments in this document.
@nakasec: So why are we here?!?
Bulova: To provide comments. The school board & board of Supervisors will decide whether or not to accept this MOU.

More meetings, fam.

ACLU says the police general orders allow SROs to question kids under a tangled web of different circumstances. Asks how parents are supposed to understand the difference. Parents need to be present, says language on parent contact/rights needs to be stronger, in native language.

ACLU: you’re carving out circumstances and saying “should” when you need “shall.” Parents shall be notified, shall be made aware of their rights.

Audience applauds this loudly. #NoCopsInSchools

Fairfax County Federation of Teachers says this process has been disappointing and doesn’t show concern for migrant, disabled children and children of color. #ListenToBlackWomen #NoCopsInSchools #CounselorsNotCops

Rep from @fccpta says there’s “no bright line delineating that cops won’t be involved in discipline.” Upset his comments didn’t make it in (He’s also the one at the last meeting who suggested the Chief & Superintendent edit this without the committee’s line-by-line participation)

@FairfaxNAACP has been ignored while others were called on. Now speaking asking for clearer description & naming of of which “offenses” will be grounds for SRO intervention. Echoes the call for “shall” mandates. #CounselorsNotCops

SEPTA says an autistic child in VA was charged with a felony for kicking a trash can. Asks for language about disability to be added to sections about student behaviors. #NoCopsInSchools

Divest from policing invest in kids. #NoCopsInSchools #CounselorsNotCops

The only blue that belongs in schools (with universal disability symbol) #NoCopsInSchools #BlackDisabledLivesMatter

More signs: This process excludes stakeholders. It’s a farce.
No overseers.
#NoCopsInSchools

Police should not be editing without community input. #NoCopsInSchools