Framingham Students Say They Fear Police In Schools, Seek Change

FRAMINGHAM, MA — A group of local students met recently with top city officials —including Mayor Yvonne Spicer, Superintendent Robert Tremblay, and former chief Steve Trask — to ask for major changes to the school resource officer program at Framingham High School.

The meeting was born out of a Framingham Families for Racial Equity in Education (FFREE) petition seeking the removal of school resource officers. The petition garnered over 540 signatures after being released in early June.

Joy Kunda was one of the students who met with school and city officials. Kunda, an incoming FHS senior and member of the FHS Black Student Union (BSU) and the Student Immigration Movement (SIM), said that his classmates recently realized they all shared a fear of the SROs. The nationwide protests surrounding the death of George Floyd drew them to action.

Kunda, who emigrated to Framingham from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 7th grade, said that his personal impression of police has been shaped by high-profile killings, like Floyd.

"With everything that's happening right now, the students at the BSU thought it was a good time to start reevaluating [the SROs] and why they're there," he said. "What's their role in the school? Are they there to keep us safe or to make us feel scared?"

Two Framingham officers patrol the high school. Ostensibly, the officers are there to keep the school safe. But Trask said the officers aren't in school to prevent shootings or enforce discipline, Kunda recalled. The police are in school to "promote a positive environment," Kunda was told during the meeting.

In response to the FFREE petition, Tremblay told Patch on June 12 that the officers are "particularly effective when they can establish positive relationships with students and families," but said the district needs to be "mindful that the presence of a police officer in school may evoke other emotions that cannot be minimized."

Instead of police in school, the FHS students wants more social services. During the meeting, Kunda said that the officials seemed more interested in overhauling the SRO program while keeping police in schools, which is not what the students are aiming for.

"Even if we try to better their roles, there's still going to be people in blue uniforms walking in the halls with guns, and that's still not going to make us feel safe," he said.

The students and FFREE activists left the meeting after handing officials 10 action items, asking that they get a response within two weeks. Tremblay is set to talk about the idea to eliminate SROs at the July 1 School Committee meeting — but neither the students nor FFREE had heard back about the list of items as of June 30.

"We want more guidance counselors, more social workers — people that are actually going to be there and actually going to help kids that need help," Kunda said.

Framingham students and members of FFREE gave these 10 demands to school and city officials after their June 22 meeting

1. If the purposes are to not discipline or prevent school shootings, why are the SROs at the Framingham Public Schools?
2. What is FPS’ and the School Committee’s response to the Massachusetts Teachers Association’s statement to remove police from schools?
3. While this discussion was focused on the two SRO officers, we would like to know more about the Director of Safety and Security position and evaluations that have been done about that position. This is a larger conversation about police presence in schools overall.
4. Based on the MOU between Framingham Public Schools and Framingham Police Department, the MOU is to be reviewed annually before the start of the school year. We also understand at any time either party can amend or withdraw. How is this annual review conducted and on what basis is it decided to be continued?
5. What responsibility does the Mayor have in ensuring the Executive Order declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis is being implemented in the schools?
6. Through a press release or statement to the media, clarify the false narrative that SROs are there to protect students from school shootings.
7. Provide data from 2000-2020 on referral by Framingham Public Schools to law enforcement and for what behaviors?
8. Provide data from 2000-2020 on school arrests and school discipline by race and ethnicity. If data isn’t available going back to 2000, provide data from 5 years prior to the implementation of the SRO program in Framingham to the most-recently available year.
9. FPS and the City of Framingham make a public commitment to increase mental health support (through social workers and counselors of color) to the students of the district.
10. What commitment and action will Framingham Public Schools take?