Fighting, other disturbances lead district’s chief to begin walking back code amid board concerns
Justin Murphy – Rochester Democrat and Chronicle USA TODAY NETWORK – in the D&C on 10/20/21 on page A1
Eighteen months after triumphantly removing Rochester Police Department officers from its schools, the Rochester City School District, beset by fighting among students, is edging back toward establishing a police presence. Uniformed officers have been stationed at high schools during bus arrival and dismissal starting this week. Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small met with the interim police chief last week, much to the chagrin of board members intent on moving away from law enforcement.
In an email to the school board on Saturday, Myers- Small said she was devising “a high-alert safety initiative,” starting with the officers in the bus loops.
“I know that a police presence is problematic for some Commissioners,” she wrote. “However, we are at a point where we are in great need of their assistance.”