CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The city’s plan to bring School Resource Officers (SROs) back into the public schools in August faced criticism from a number of speakers during Monday night’s Charlottesville City Council meeting.

“As a former member of the Disproportionate Minority Contact and Juvenile Justice System Task Force, I’m well aware of how police in schools can lead to the school-to-prison pipeline,” said former City Council candidate Lena Seville. “I think you should take a much closer look at how the police is spending the money that they have.”

Her comments followed activist Rosia Parker’s time at the podium, during which she also said there are better places for the Charlottesville Police Department to spend money, including investigating possible human trafficking cases.

“That’s something that needs attention in Charlottesville, because it’s here,” Parker said.

City Manager Sam Sanders explained that the SROs won’t add any expense to the city’s budget because they will be filling openings in the police department that are currently vacant but budgeted for.

“The cost of assigning two officers to schools is not a budgeted increase because it’s using vacancies. So, there is no reason for a budget increase or request,” he said. “The individual officers that are being assigned to schools was the result of there being two positions that had not been filled. Chief Kochis is using those vacancies to address this particular detail.”

Last March, the School Board voted 4-2 to bring back police officers, called School Resource Officers, or SROs. Following pushback, CCS held a series of public “listening hours” to refine the guidelines for SROs, which outline roles, responsibilities, procedures, and shared values. Both CPD Chief Michael Kochis and CCS Superintendent Dr. Royal Gurley have now signed a memorandum of understanding detailing how the SRO program will work.

On Feb. 20, the CPD began advertising for the positions.

“This sworn officer assignment focuses on ensuring the safety and security of school campuses while building positive relationships with students and staff,” a CPD social media post. “SROs serve as a front-line liaison between CPD and CCS, conduct threat and security assessments, support prevention efforts, and provide instruction in areas such as Driver Education, Substance Abuse Awareness, and Personal Safety.”