Steinmetz LSC votes to retain in-school police

by BRIAN NADIG

The Steinmetz Prep High School Local School Council at its Aug. 12 meeting unanimously voted to retain its in-school police officers.

Several council members said that the school resource officers assigned to Steinmetz have done a good job building positive relationships with students. On a recent school survey for staff members, parents and students, more than 75 percent of the 192 respondents voiced support to keep the SROs.

LSC president Vanessa Valentin said that five years ago there were problems with the school resource officers assigned to Steinmetz but that school officials worked with the local police commander to successfully address the issue. “We will continue to hold the SROs accountable … (and) make our students feel comfortable on a daily basis,” she said.

Also on the Far Northwest Side, councils at Schurz and Taft have voted to retain SROs at their schools, while the LSCs at two gifted schools, Northside and Lane Tech, have decided to discontinue the SRO programs on their campuses. The Chicago Board of Education is expected to vote this month on whether to fund the SRO program for next school year, with an anticipated reduction in its budget due to school buildings being closed for in-class instruction for at least the first quarter.

Also at the meeting, the council voted to reduce the annual student fee from $145 to $55 in an effort to help those families which are struggling financially during the pandemic.

It also was announced that students can delay purchasing school uniforms due to the planned remote learning for the first quarter of the 2020-21 school year. Steinmetz has an enrollment of about 1,200 students.