Bothell, WA students, parents demand school board members resign over SRO vote
Bothell high school students demand school board resigns after SRO cut
Many students at Bothell High School are not letting the school resource officer program go quietly.
BOTHELL, Wash. - Many students and parents at Bothell High School are not letting the school resource officer (SRO) program go quietly.
Last week, hundreds of students walked out of school in support of Officer Garrett Ware. This week, students and parents attended the Northshore District School Board meeting demanding a reversal.
Speakers also said they wanted documentation and data backing up the board’s decision to cancel the program, with multiple people calling for board members to resign.
Students walk out of Bothell High School over the district ending the SRO program. (FOX 13 Seattle)
A controversial vote
The backstory:
Before the 4 to 1 vote on May 11, terminating the SRO program, board members said the decision was not personal against Officer Ware but that it was about district’s values, racial equity and social justice. Bothell High School is the only school with an SRO and Ware has been there since 2017.
One board member, Carson Sanderson, said that they were voted in to represent the community, but that they also had to vote for their conscience.
What they're saying:
One student this week directly referred to Sanderson’s statement.
"I'd like to correct a board member sitting in front of me today. We didn't choose you to choose your conscience; we chose you to do what the majority of the students want. And the majority of the students want Ware," the student said.
Another student said the board made the decision without any data proving harm.
"This argument rests on the misconception that the SRO program inherently funnels more students into the criminal justice system. This is not happening within our school," said the student.
Last week, when students walked out in support of Officer Ware, FOX 13 interviewed the president of the Black Student Union, who said their voices are being misrepresented.
Bothell High students walk out over SRO vote
Hundreds of Bothell High School students staged a walkout Monday to protest the school board's decision to end the campus resource officer program.
Dig deeper:
Parents this week spoke in front of board members on Tuesday.
"It is patronizing and implies a racial bias to assume that you know what's best for culture, especially after they speak up and tell you that you are wrong," said one parent.
Another parent said she was disappointed that board members were making the issue political, saying she was scared to send her child to school in the fall.
At one point during the meeting, a group of students walked up with a display showing a picture of Officer Ware.
"We're going to take a moment of silence for your guys' bad decisions," said one student.
A group of Bothell High School students display a picture of Officer Ware to members of the Northshore School District board during a meeting on Tuesday, May 26.
After several minutes of silence, one student ended the protest at the podium, saying she hoped the board would listen to their silence since they chose not to listen to their voices.
Calls for Bothell school board members to resign
Multiple speakers said that board members were invited to shadow Ware, but they never took up the offer. Some demanded the members resign, with one parent saying this:
"If the four board members who voted 'no' to keeping our program are unwilling or unable to meet with the community, I'm asking for you to step down from your positions. Please respond—please respond by June 1st. Each member will be asked for the facts and data they used."
Board members Elisabeth Sotak, Carson Sanderson, Han Tran and Kimberly Kelly voted to get rid of the SRO program. Board President Sandy Hayes was the only vote to keep the program.
FOX 13 reached out to Hayes on Friday to see if the board had plans on revisiting the issue or the vote in light of all the community anger over the decision. We did not get a response.
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The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and reporting.