A new effort to crack down on marijuana use at Chico high schools will put police officers back on campuses next year.
The Chico Unified school board approved the program on Wednesday. It’s largely funded by a $4.5 million state grant awarded to the Chico Police Department.
Elaine Ward, a parent in the district who supports the plan, said having officers on campus could benefit students in more ways than one.
"Obviously for safety reasons that a lot of parents are expressing concerns about,” Ward said. “But also for the positive impact that they have on students lives that are veering quote-unquote “off course.’”
But other parents questioned whether police in schools would be effective, and raised concerns that students of color and disabled students could be disproportionately targeted.
Parent Theresa Ban said despite some of her concerns, she felt the board struck a balance.
“The board did a good job in listening to staff administrators and other parents who have deep concerns about the safety of their students,” Ban said. “Today, it seemed like a compromise, and sometimes a compromise means you don’t win, and that’s ok.”
The program will fund three officers and a supervisor. Chico police will cover most of the cost, while the district will pay about $230,000 a year for one of the officers, with the option to terminate the position after review.