Following the study of community feedback, the Tigard-Tualatin School District will soon decide whether School Resource Officers (SROs) will continue their work in schools. 

This is the result of a month-long process consisting of three listening sessions, a community survey and a student survey to ensure as many voices are represented as possible. After the information session on Oct. 1 when SROs from the Tigard and Tualatin police departments shared details on their partnerships with the Tigard-Tualatin School District, the listening sessions took place. These sessions were open to the general public, including students, teachers, parents, administrators and other citizens who wanted to give feedback. Every listening meeting began with a whole group discussion of the recent results in the SRO Survey sent out to students, teachers, community members and parents, followed by brief facilitated discussions in breakout rooms for participants to reflect on the data presented. Through these meetings, the committee received insights from different perspectives and made recommendations to the district based on these insights. 

While the Feedback Phase was intended for community members to share their thoughts about SROs, some people have voiced concerns over potential flaws in the process.

One issue is the lack of student representation. According to TTSD’s Director of Equity and Inclusion, Zinnia Un, among over 1000 responses received, only 120 came from students. This is concerning to many because the final outcome affects the students most, yet a majority of the responses were submitted by parents.

 “There’s just not enough student voice[s] in there,” SRO Oversight Committee member Elsa Antony said. 

Another major concern is the lack of equal representation among different racial groups. Among the 1000 total responses to the survey, about 80 percent of respondents were white, posing an issue around the BIPOC community having less of a voice. Overall, about 90 percent of white respondents reported positive interactions with SROs, while some of the underserved minority groups showed to be 100 percent but this does not represent a large scope of perspectives from the groups whose voices need to be heard.

When members of the Oversight Committee were asked if all voices were being represented, there was no need for words. All heads simply shook “no.” 

After the district makes its final decision, students may notice some significant differences when they return to in-person instruction. It is too early to say what modifications, if any, students should expect to see, but any new information will likely be communicated to families. Depending on how students feel about SROs and police officers in general, there will be differing opinions around any new mandates.