The discussion about the return of school resource officers, or SROs, in Charlottesville City Schools will continue later this week.
On Thursday, April 16, the School Board will hold a work session focusing on the topic of SROs. Some Board members are encouraging the community to attend. “I hope that everybody understands that April 16 is a working session, that it is open to the community,” said Board member Nicole Richardson, adding that “we still have more work to do.”
The decision to devote a work session to SROs came in response to an online petition organized by local advocacy groups, including the Legal Aid Justice Center, Commonwealth Justice Coalition and Indivisible Charlottesville. The petition, asking the School Board to reconsider its decision to bring police officers back to city schools, circulated ahead of a March 31 School Board meeting.
In March 2025, the School Board voted 4-2 to return SROs to City Schools. Following the vote, several parents and teachers pushed back, saying the decision was rushed and made without enough opportunity for community input.
The same advocacy groups that organized the petition have joined some of the parents opposing the return of SROs and plan to hold a rally just before the work session is scheduled to begin.
Take action
Provide your input to the Charlottesville City School Board about school resource officers
The Charlottesville City School Board is holding a work session devoted to discussing the return of SROs The session will be held April 16 at 5:00 p.m. at the Booker T. Reaves Media Center, Charlottesville High School, 1400 Melbourne Road, Charlottesville.
Residents can also watch the meeting and participate virtually using this Zoom registration link or watch a livestream of the meeting on Facebook.
Community members can also share their thoughts with the School Board by emailing schoolboard[AT]charlottesvilleschools[DOT]org.
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