Charlottesville City Schools

February 6, 2025: Results of CCS safety audit presented to School Board with process for developing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Charlottesville Police Department and receiving community feedback. 

• Summary from February 6 Mini-Minutes:
  Safety Audit Action Steps (including Decision-Making Process for SROs). Ms. Kim Powell, Chief Operations Officer, presented the results of this fall’s safety audit conducted by the firm Navigate 360. The audit described strengths of our current safety protocols, as well as areas for improvement, including recommendations for additional training, recovery planning, infrastructure improvement, and youth resource officers. Concerning the decision-making for youth (or school) resource officers, a "Procedure for Review of School Safety & Security" document details the process developed to evaluate whether School Resource Officers should be included in the safety model. It includes background information as well as a process for a staff working group to work with the Charlottesville Police Department to research best practices, develop a model Memorandum of Understanding as well as budgetary impact, consult with impacted stakeholders, and seek a Board decision (likely in October 2025).
• Link to presentation slides
• Link to video of the presentation/discussion

March 12, 2025: Staff working group met to begin discussions about possible return of SROs to schools.

• Summary of staff Working Group Meeting March 12:
  The agenda explored the following: 
  • Pros and cons of school resource officers, considering people's experiences with them. 
  • Existing vulnerabilities and areas of concern. 
  • Actionable next steps. 
  • Effective practices and key considerations
• The working group included staff members from:  
  • CCS: Alternative Education, Communications, Equity & Family Engagement, Mental & School Wellness, Restorative Justice, Safety and Security, School Leadership,  Student Services  
  • City Staff: Commonwealth Attorney & Deputy Commonwealth Attorney 
  • Charlottesville Police Department was not part of the meeting but provided input and answers to questions.
• Slides from meeting

March 27, 2025: The Board voted to restore SROs to the CCS safety model.

• Summary from March 27 Mini-Minutes
  School Resource Officers: The Board voted 4-2 to restore School Resource Officers to the CCS safety model. The intent is to keep all elements of our current safety plan – including our robust mental wellness staff, plus Care & Safety Assistants. Earlier this spring, the Board directed staff to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the police for future consideration, and this vote confirms Board support for developing and implementing this plan. Next steps include the development of an MOU with the Charlottesville Police Department, as well as robust community engagement around the MOU and its implementation plan. A timeline for implementation will be determined in consultation with the City. To learn more about this decision and next steps, see an update shared with the community on March 28.
• Message about this Decision from Dr. Gurley and School Board on March 28
• Link to presentation slides
• Link to video of the presentation/discussion 

May 16, 2025: Superintendent’s Advisory Committee met to discuss feedback from stakeholders and review sample Memorandums of Understanding between schools and police

• Summary of meeting from May News & Highlights
  As a follow-up to the Board's March 27 decision to restore school resource officers to our safety model, the superintendent's advisory committee met to discuss feedback from stakeholders, including student focus groups recently held during some health and English classes. Next steps include drafting a MOU and soliciting public feedback.
• Slides from meeting

June 16, 2025: Superintendent’s Advisory Committee met to review a draft MOU and discuss planned community engagement to seek feedback. 

• Summary of meeting to come
• Slides from meeting to come

• In June 2020, School Board, the City, and the City Police Department issued a joint statement   ending our MOU and calling for a time of public discussion to chart the best pathway forward. 
• Summer/Fall 2020, public engagement began to develop a new model, concluding with hiring/training of “care and safety assistants.” The framework of this safety model relies on
  • Community-building and relationship-building
  • Mental health supports
  • Care and Safety Assistants
  • Community partnerships, including with the police
  • Continual investment in building security upgrades
• Fall 2020 - August 2021: schools were largely virtual
• August 2021- ongoing: Continued feedback and improvement of CCS safety model along with discussion of “pain points” of a safety model without SROs. The pain points focused on these staff reports:
  • Educators must handle responsibilities traditionally managed by police.
  • Schools rely on available police officers instead of specially selected and trained officers who work onsite to build relationships with school staff, students, and families.
  • School staff face administrative burdens to call, brief, and schedule police when assistance is needed.
  • In a critical situation, a police officer would not already be on site.
• February 2024, a survey of the community indicated that 60% of respondents “strongly” or “very strongly” supported exploring the possibility of having Youth Resource Officers (YROs) in our schools and the community (vs. 25% "strongly" or "very strongly" opposed to learning more).
• March 2024: In keeping with community support shown on the February 2024 survey about school safety,  CCS and CPD continued learning more about the "community resource officer" model for school-police partnership. Find a summary in the mini-minutes for March 7, 2024.
• May 30, 2024:  The Board voted unanimously to postpone a vote on adding Youth Resource Officers to the CCS safety plan until March 27, 2025 to allow time for further engagement as well as progress reports in October and December. 
• August 2024: As part of the Board’s earlier request for an evaluation of our current safety model, the division posted a request for proposals for professional services to assist with an audit. For results, see “Recent Developments, Spring 2025,” above.