Christina School District to Replace Middle School Police

The Christina School District will replace school resource officers in its middle schools with constables. The school board approved the six-month phase-out plan in an August vote, opting to keep police officers in the district's three high schools for the full year.

Following a heated debate, the board rejected a contract renewal for the school resource officers (SROs). A subsequent vote approved hiring constables as armed security for middle schools. Constables are direct employees of the school district, not a police department, and do not possess the same arrest powers as sworn officers. Board member Doug Manley was the sole vote against the compromise, stating he could not support contracts requiring officers to be armed.

The Data on School Arrests

Data from the Wilmington Police Department, provided to Spotlight Delaware, shows arrests at Christina district schools in the past year. A department spokesperson, David Karas, said the vast majority of charges were not physical arrests but rather summonses or juvenile civil citations.

Karas noted that officers would take other measures short of a formal criminal charge during incidents like fights. The Delaware State Police did not provide comparable data for other districts, stating it would require a formal records request.

A Lengthy Board Debate

The August decision followed a presentation of three options by Superintendent Deirdra Aikens and assistant Harold "Butch"Ingram in May. The choices were keeping the status quo, replacing middle school SROs with constables, or replacing all SROs with constables."a very traumatic year, especially for Pritchett,"referencing a shooting near Maurice Pritchett Academy in October. Moriak wants to hold follow-up listening sessions with community members."are not employees of our district; they are employees of their police troop." As contracted officers, SROs fall under the Delaware Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights (LEOBOR).

Manley told Spotlight Delaware there is "zero transparency and accountability" for SROs because of LEOBOR. He also referenced the recent police shooting of 19-year-old Kadir Skinner in Wilmington. The Wilmington police department asserts Skinner pointed a gun at a crowd before the foot chase and shooting.

Board Vice President Y.F. Lou emphasized addressing root causes of incidents. His guiding principle is prevention. He asks what resources are available for preventative intervention. The board's compromise aims to balance safety concerns with the desire for district-controlled security personnel. The constables will be hired during the six-month transition period.