LA CROSSE, Wis., (March 25, 2021) – In December, the School District of La Crosse released a school resource officer (SRO) program evaluation report identifying a number of actions to be taken for the SRO program to continue. These recommendations included the implementation of an SRO advisory committee made up of community members. The school board accepted the report with the understanding that these recommendations would be codified in a new SRO memorandum of understanding (MOU.)
The School District of La Crosse is deeply concerned by the recent harassment and intimidation of La Crosse resident Joella Striebel who served on the La Crosse County Criminal Justice Management Council (CJMC.) No community member, let alone one who strives to fulfill a civic duty in service to us all, should have their safety endangered in this way.
The actions against a member of the CJMC and efforts to prevent the creation of a police oversight committee call into question whether the School District of La Crosse can fulfill the recommendations of the district’s SRO program evaluation report without endangering the members of the SRO advisory committee and school district employees.
The school board and district administration are committed to public transparency regarding the SRO program. Until written assurances are made and steps outlined to ensure that employees of the school district and members of the SRO advisory committee will not face harassment and intimidation for providing oversight of the program, the School District of La Crosse cannot enter into a new SRO memorandum of understanding.
The current MOU remains in place through June 2021.
Aaron J. J. Engel, Ph.D.
Superintendent
and
Laurie Cooper Stoll, Ph.D.
School Board President
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