Dec 21, 2020
MANKATO â Police officers will remain at East and West high schools but not at Prairie Winds Middle School.
The Mankato School Board on Monday narrowly approved continuing the school resource officer program with one fewer officer, an advisory committee and other changes. The board split with four members in favor and three in opposition.
For decades the school district and city of Mankato have had a partnership placing dedicated officers in some schools. The number of officers has varied between one and four over the years.
Some community members this summer and fall pressed Mankato police to remove all officers from schools, as some other Minnesota districts have done.
Dec 10, 2020
MANKATO â None of the community members who sounded off on the issue of police officers in Mankato schools had concerns about the officers themselves.
During a workshop meeting Wednesday, School Board members noted most of the feedback they have received in opposition to school resource officers is based on general concerns heightened by national incidents of police violence.
Mankato Area Public Schools held a series of community forums and an online survey about school resource officers. The School Board received a lengthy summary of the feedback and met Wednesday to discuss and hear more testimony.
The contract between the school district and the city of Mankato to have officers at West and East high schools and Prairie Winds Middle School is expiring. The School Board will decide on Dec. 21 whether to renew, amend or allow the contract to expire. The district is currently paying the city $192,000 annually.