Calls to remove officers from schools continue

SOUTH BEND, Ind.--- The role of police officers in school once again came into question Wednesday evening at an online forum. The event, hosted by Community Action For Education and the South Bend chapter of Black Lives Matter examined the history and problems some see with school resource officers. 

"Police need to be out of schools," said Regina Williams-Preston of Black Lives Matter. "I think we need to reframe this conversation."

Those in law enforcement, on the other hand, say school resource officers are a necessary part of more than just student safety. 

"When school resource programs are done correctly, there’s no better form of community releasing for someone to be involved in a school setting building relationships," said Chase Lyday, President of the Indiana School Resource Officers Association. "We discuss violence, victimization, its impact on the brain, resiliency and how the presence of a caring adult in the life of a child is one of the most strong protective forces to overcome trauma."

Those against school resource officers say these roles can be better met by someone other than an armed officer. 

"To feel safe is to feel that there’s someone in the building who I trust, who trusts me, who believes in me," said Stuart Greene, South Bend Community School Corporation District 5 Representative. "If I don’t think those things exist, that’s not safety."