Chicago mayor voices support for removing all police from Chicago public schools despite concern from principals

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he supports the decision by the Board of Education to end a contract with the Chicago Police Department, meaning he is in favor of removing all officers from school grounds. Currently, local school councils have the power to remove school resource officers (SRO’s) if they choose to, but district leaders are now taking away that local control. Several principals of Chicago public schools are speaking out, deeply concerned for the safety and wellbeing of their student bodies. Principal Grishaber of William Taft Howard High School, who opted to keep principals in school during a 2020 vote stated, "If the Mayor and the Board really believe what they say, that the safety of our students is their number one concern and the mayor, and the board really believe in listening to student and community voices then the decision should be crystal clear.” If the Board of Education moves forward with these extreme plans, all officers may be removed by next fall, even from the schools that want and need them most.

"Let each school's LSC decide if they want to retain their SRO's or let them go. Many years ago, the system was broken, but through the efforts of Jadine Chou and CPS, the SRO's are now in the schools that want them and the SRO's are now trained," Grishaber said in an email to Fox News Digital. 

Read More