Contentious fight in Niskayuna over school resource officers

NISKAYUNA, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) – Parents in the Niskayuna Central School District are pushing to have School Resource Officers (SRO) in all schools. However, those opposed said it could accelerate the school-to-prison pipeline.

Parents, like Paige Faddegon, said they want school resource officers present on campuses as a proactive measure to ensure safety.

“My personal involvement started four or five months ago after talking to concerned community members, parents and schools and hearing some safety issues and how it was dealt with internally in the district,” said Faddegon.

Throughout Niskayuna advocates have posted signs advocating for the program. A QR code on the signs link to a petition that was started last Friday. Paige Faddegon said nearly 900 people have signed the petition and it’s taken consistent advocacy to get a response from the district.

“Only after that petition was released did we get a response from the school stating they are now seeking to hire a third-party consultant to do a top to bottom review of our safety and security protocols,” said Faddegon.

Board of Education President Kim Tully said, at its regularly scheduled meeting on April 16, the board acknowledged concerns and advocacy regarding the implementation of SROs and that’s why they’ve hired the third party to review.

In a statement the district said, “This review aims to assess the effectiveness of our current measures, pinpoint areas for improvement, and offer recommendations aligned with industry standards and best practices. Upon completion of this review, the board will closely examine all recommendations presented. We are committed to ensuring transparency throughout this process, striving to keep our community informed every step of the way.”

At the same meeting, school board members said Niskayuna has safety measures that are better than average.

“Everything we do here in Niskayuna we are head and shoulders above so many other districts in the state and in the nation. I went to one workshop where she said, ‘You need to have a safety team.’ I said well we have one. ‘Well you need to have this,’ and we do. And everything she said we needed to have, we have in place and we have functioning well,” said Judith Tomisman, a board member.

Data from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) shows the presence of officers on campus has a negative impact on minority populations.

Ashley Breslin is another parent advocating for a SRO program on campuses and said she understands why some are concerned.

“Certainly the last thing myself, or any one of these parents, want to do is create adversity for populations of students such as minorities or those with disabilities. that is not at all what we are looking to do,” said Breslin.

She said the data on SROs is not exactly clear, from what she’s found.

“Some of it shows a correlation between SROs and increased suspensions and arrests but equally you can find just as much research to say that having SROs in schools lessens the chance of students getting criminal records,” said Breslin.

Parents said they will continue advocating for SROs and plan to attend the May 7 Board of Education meeting.

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