What We Know about School Reporting Officers (SROs)

This week, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) are voting on whether or not to keep School Reporting Officers (SROs). The SRO program places 200 officers in various CPS schools with the goal of increasing safety and student wellbeing. But research and students’ experiences tell a different story, that SROs don’t keep students safe and even put students in the path of more danger.

As a part of the global uprising against police violence, students and teachers alike have been placing pressure on the removal of the SRO program. Groups of young people from @CPSAlumni4Abolition to @StudentsStrikeBack and more have been organizing and highlighting information about the impact of the SRO program, as well as sharing their personal experiences with School Reporting Officers.

As an organization committed to ending sexual violence, we strive to provide our community with the most up to date information, to model consent and informed decision making. Below are some statistics and information about SROs and gender based and racialized violence within CPS.

Resilience is dedicated to the healing and empowerment of sexual assault survivors, including young people who have been directly harmed by SROs or who have been unable to come forward about their assault due to the presence of SROs in schools. Furthermore, we support CPS staff, families, and students as they tell us what safety looks like. No matter what decision is made for each school, Resilience will be here for survivors and their school community, providing advocacy, trauma therapy, prevention education, and institutional and policy change to end sexual violence.

It is in the hands of individual @chipubschools now. Pay attention to how your neighborhood school is voting. Contact the principal, reach out to your alma mater. Let’s open the conversation and support our youth.

Statistics


Chicago Public Schools, CPS, Education & Training, School Reporting Officers, SROs, Students