ST. PAUL – With 44 Democrat lawmakers declaring that they do not support a fix to law that has left dozens of schools without school resources officers (SROs), State Representative Jim Joy (R-Hawley) is urging those Democrats who remain undecided to join with Republicans in asking Governor Walz to call a special session and work together on a solution.
“I am disappointed that the extreme, anti-law enforcement agenda of some of my colleagues is getting in the way of bipartisan calls to fix the SRO language and keep our students safe,” said Joy. “Moorhead Area Public Schools was one of the first districts in Minnesota to lose their SROs as a result of this careless change, a pattern that’s continued across our region and state. We need a special session now to fix this language and ensure every student and teacher is safe at school.”
The new law changes what SROs are allowed to do to de-escalate aggressive or violent situations, taking away tools they can use to keep students and teachers safe. In response, over 40 law enforcement agencies have pulled SROs from schools across Minnesota.
House and Senate Republicans are urging Governor Walz to call a special session to clarify the SRO language that is now in law. In response, 44 Democrat lawmakers stated they do not support a special session, preferring to leave the law alone.
Joy said political games should not be played with student and teacher safety, and urged Democrats to do the right thing and join Republicans in addressing law enforcement’s concerns with the new law and brining SROs back to the schools that have lost them.
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