Seattle Public Schools: Police 'May Not Use Our Parking Lots'

SEATTLE, WA — Seattle Public Schools are forbidding the Seattle Police Department from using their school districts as staging grounds for protests.

The move comes after an image posted online Monday evening showed dozens of officers using the parking lot of Lowell Elementary School in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. The surrounding area has been home to a series of protests and confrontations between police and protesters over the past week. In the photo, police appear to be using the school's lot as a staging ground for any upcoming conflict with protesters.

When the photo was brought to their attention, Seattle Public Schools said the staging was unauthorized, and strongly condemned the police presence on their campuses.

"We did not allow, nor condone, school property being used to stage any militarized police or actual military. We did not give permission and will continue to figure out how this happened. We are working to ensure that this staging is not repeated on SPS property," reads SPS's statement Monday.

On Tuesday, the school district confirmed they had followed up by demanding that police not use their school property as a staging zone. The district has posted a message reading in part:

"Schools should be safe, welcoming places for students to learn. Many of the spaces militarized police occupied are used for distribution of meals, learning packets, books, and health resources. These are spaces for student learning and supports, not for militarized responses."

The district goes on to say that Superintendent Denise Juneau has spoken to Seattle Police Department leaders, and has been promised that SPD, SWAT teams and the National Guard will all keep free of school property in the future.

Seattle University issued a similar statement Monday, saying there had been reports of police using their fitness center's parking lot. The university says they have also asked SPD to steer clear of their parking lots.