Roll Hill Launches Meals With Shields Lunches

From Cincinnati Public Schools:

By Angela Ingram, WKRC

January 24, 2020

When preschoolers and kindergarteners headed to lunch Thursday, there were some guests waiting to share cheese coneys with them.

High fives and fist bumps were the greeting in the cafeteria at Roll Hill School. Cincinnati Police officers came to eat cheese coneys and veggies from the salad bar with the kids.

"We know that great conversation usually starts over a meal, so here's an opportunity to have our scholars and our first responders come together and begin those conversations," Jessica Shelly, the director of student dining services, said.

It's the kickoff of a new program by Cincinnati Public Schools called "Meals With Shields."

Principal Vicki Hill said, "I want them to actually see that they are good people; they're here to help us, and every time they see a police officer doesn't mean something bad is going on."

Sgt. Eric Franz said, "We're ultimately able to reduce crime by forming a relationship and being able to act as somewhat of a role model."

Police-community relations is a constant priority for CPD. Last November, in the same neighborhood, two officers were attacked. They were responding to a domestic situation.

These are the kinds of problems officers say they can help reduce with good relationships in the community.

Franz said, "We want the people in the neighborhood, specifically the children in the neighborhood, to understand we're there to help them. We're not there to hurt them. We're not the bad guys."

This press release was produced by Cincinnati Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.