Police officers stationed in St. Paul's public schools have a desire to mentor students, and the more frequent their interactions, the more likely students are to view the officers favorably, a study shows.
The problem, though, is that 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 their school resource officers (SROs) for help.
Those were among the findings presented to the St. Paul school board Tuesday night, and they had the added power of being delivered by students themselves. The project was the first to be conducted by a new student advisory group tasked with helping give students a voice in potentially weighty district matters.
The district intends to keep officers in its schools. But the findings from a survey and focus group sessions led by the student engagement group could lead to changes in the district's contract with the St. Paul Police Department, said Superintendent Valeria Silva, who commended the students for the quality of their report.
"I am speechless," she said.
The study topic was suggested to the student advisory team last year by the then-outgoing school board, and resulted in the advisory group circulating a survey that was completed by nearly 1,300 students and organizing focus group sessions that drew 84 students.
St. Paul now has nine SROs. Seven work in the high schools and two are "roving officers." The annual budget is $954,214, with the school district covering $854,214 and the city picking up $100,000.
Keith Eicher, a senior at Como Park Senior High who is a member of the student advisory team, told board members that the district should negotiate a deal with the city requiring the district to pay less. Then, the district could use the savings to hire more behavioral specialists or other staff members tending to school-climate issues, he said.