St. Paul students advise school board, speak out

As fights and suspensions grab headlines and attention, St. Paul's students have gone somewhat unnoticed in this rough 2015-16 school year.

But that is changing, and as it turns out, students have strong opinions — and are ready to give them.

Last week, a new student advisory group empowered to give voice to students in meaty matters released its first report: on police officers assigned to schools. Those school resource officers (SROs) should play more active roles in their school communities, the students said.

But they also suggested — in a now-that-we-have-the-floor style — that school administrators refrain from calling in police for students caught possessing small amounts of drugs.

Student board members Keith Eicher, a senior at Como Park High, and Rogelio Salinas, a senior at Highland Park High, said in an interview that students aren't all that stressed about the violence that has raised teacher protests and soon will inspire a district task force study on school-climate concerns.

"As far as the fights, it's undeniable that they occur," Eicher said. "But it's something you can avoid. You walk away from it."

Salinas sought out a spot on the 13-member group because, he says, he has "always believed the underrepresented need to be heard in any institution, especially the schools." He said he is heartened thus far that district administrators and staff members have shown "they genuinely want our input."

The SPPS Student Engagement and Advancement Board was created last fall when the school board decided to bring the voices of young people into its decisionmaking. The board suggested that the student advisory team look at school resource officers as its first assignment.

The team conducted a survey asking students whether they took their problems to SROs and whether the officers made them feel welcome or safer or helped them succeed in school. Nearly 1,300 students responded. Team members also interviewed officers and organized focus group sessions that drew 84 students.

The study found that the more frequent the interactions between students and officers, the more likely students are to view them favorably. But the interactions are infrequent, and black, Hispanic and American Indian students in the state's second-largest district are less inclined than their white and Asian counterparts to go to the officers for help, the advisory group learned.

Eicher, who presented the group's recommendations, noted that interviews with the officers revealed them to be "all very nice people" with a desire to form bonds with students.

Salinas gave Highland's SRO, Cortez Hull, "exemplary" marks for his wide-ranging presence throughout the school. Salinas remembers when Hull showed up for a potluck in a Spanish class: "He took some food. But he was nice about it," Salinas said, ­smiling.

Marcelus Ifonlaja, a senior at Harding High and also a member of the advisory group, said students can be hesitant to speak to SROs for fear of being perceived as a snitch, adding: "It is hard to confide in a police officer."

But positive relationships can be cultivated with officers who are visible and active in the school community, he said, pointing to Vern Simmons' role as both SRO and head boys' basketball coach at Johnson High School.

As for the advisory group's stance on minor drug cases, Eicher and Salinas said that the officers' presence in the schools makes it easier for an inner-city student to be arrested than a student at a private or suburban school.

Students who aren't in the St. Paul school system "don't use less drugs or drink less than students in the city," Salinas said. "But they don't have a cop watching them. If they're caught, they'll be sent to their parents. In our schools, they're put in squad cars."

Only five drug-related cases involving students were reported by St. Paul police between Jan. 1 and Nov. 1, 2015. Hull and Simmons each reported one during that time. Police spokesman Sgt. Mike Ernster said that if there was one thing school resource officers could do better, it may be reaching out to more kids who don't make trouble. Unfortunately, though, he said, they spend more of their time with those who do.

The student group's report was well-received by district Superintendent Valeria Silva and school board members.

Now, with one project behind them, advisory group members are getting set to tackle another. This time, however, they are prepared to call the shots themselves on what they choose to do.

Star Tribune staff writer James Walsh contributed to this report. Anthony Lonetree • 612-673-4109