Changing the culture of policing in our schools will take time, but it’s necessary

I find myself intrigued by the difficulty Counselors Over Cops has in being heard by the FCPS School Board. Despite a current center-leftward tilt, the board is hiring more officers and appears to lack appreciation for the challenges accompanying increased police presence. This is not exactly the case, but there are significant roadblocks to implementing the systemic change advocated for by Counselors Over Cops. Fortunately, the answer lies in our own backyard.

FCPS alternative high school The Learning Center utilizes a restorative justice model compatible with Counselors Over Cops’ goals. As a former teacher there, I have witnessed the challenge of teaching without police, and even no practical ability to send kids to the office. Assuming normal child misbehavior, I was expected to manage behavior fully within the classroom setting. This was a significant challenge, and I struggled mightily my first year as I adjusted to the new disciplinary ecosystem.

What I learned was that it is not only possible to manage kids with behavioral disorders within the classroom, but there’s not a significant policing need when utilizing an effective, positive approach to classroom management. The key is a more sophisticated disciplinary strategy where new teachers, rather than rely on the metaphorical “stick” as is the traditional model, initially must invest time in building student body trust and supporting normal student maturation needs. The teacher should plan to be a mentor to all kids and understand that students will sometimes have issues with other teachers and students that the teacher can mediate, teaching through maturity. The teacher should assist the child’s development in these areas, as they are potentially even more key to long-term student success (and current positive behaviors) than a child’s mastery of content. The thought process here is, even if a kid has mastered calculus, if no one will hire him due to social disorders, was the mastery of content worth it?

Implementing this model will initially require significant strains not only on FCPS resources, but on convincing hundreds of administrators, both within the schools and at central office, that the model is worth it. In addition, this will create disturbances in school behavior patterns which will have real effects on student outcomes. This will require convincing families that the long-term change is worth it for our community. That’s a lot of minds to change, and the data to support such a transition is minimal. Counselors Over Cops must understand that, while they’re correct that a mentoring approach is superior to policing, even if the board agrees with you in principle, FCPS is a massive ship to turn. Solving current problems is simply easier in the moment by hiring more officers, and that’s unfortunate, but real.

The school board needs to recognize the culture of policing is wholly at odds with long-term positive mental health outcomes. As much as we want to lionize police officers, the current approach in policing is purely a stick with no carrot. Policing, particularly in schools, needs positive incentives to reward officers who improve outcomes for students, but at present the reward structure in policing is simply felony arrests and convictions. If you’re a police officer in that environment and you want a promotion, what would you do?

The best path forward is for the school board to engage with Counselors Over Cops and the FCPS community at large in order to hear the system’s challenges so they truly understand the policing approach is incompatible with the district’s plans for positive growth in student outcomes. They should then discuss the merits and challenges of implementing the model with local and national school administrators with relevant expertise. Following that, they’ll need a pilot program in traditional FCPS Elementary, Middle, and High schools (the Tates Creek cluster would be ideal due to the schools’ close proximity and sharing the International Baccalaureate program, allowing for understanding the model’s impact on advanced students).

The pilot program’s success depends on administrators believing in the process and pushing through significant hurdles while documenting outcomes and challenges effectively. They’ll need support from the board with families who struggle during the change. Working with the Kentucky Department of Education and University of Kentucky’s College of Education could provide key supports, data management, and educational guidance that could be educational force multipliers. Once the pilot is deemed successful, which will take years of data to assess, implementing the change districtwide will be simpler. But Counselors Over Cops must realize, this is a generational battle for change. It will not happen overnight, but it is a policy battle worth fighting for.

Barry Saturday has served the Lexington community as a social studies teacher, financial advisor, past HOA President, and 2018 candidate for city council.