Boulder Leader

Boulder Valley School District issued the following announcement on Nov. 11.

On Tuesday night, November 10, the BVSD Board of Education voted 6-1 to approve a resolution that directs the district to address disparities in school discipline, previously identified by district administration, and adopts the recommendations made previously by the District Accountability Committee and Equity Council, including the end of BVSD’s School Resource Officer program.

Here are the actions specifically outlined in Resolution 20-33: Addressing Equitable Discipline and Approaches to Student ConductPDF download:

• Develop a timeline and budget to accelerate the work of Strategic Initiative 6a, specifically regarding the development and implementation of equitable disciplinary practices by developing a comprehensive plan to reduce disparities in school discipline, including ending the current SRO program
• Use a process to develop the comprehensive plan that incorporates diverse voice of administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community partners, specifically including people who are BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and have disabilities
• Assure the comprehensive plan incorporates the development of new school safety plans, revised intergovernmental agreements with BVSD’s multiple law enforcement agencies, and opportunities for the community to learn about and provide input into school safety plans
• Provide quarterly updates on the process to develop the comprehensive plan, and no later than May 1, 2021 in accordance with the Board’s normal budget cycle, to present the comprehensive plan, including a target date for ending the current SRO program of January 2022.

Prior to the vote, there was discussion about the timeline and whether it would be possible to accelerate it, given the strong mandate to remove SROs in both the District Accountability Committee and Equity Council’s recommendations.

Original source can be found here.