MILWAUKEE — Over a year ago, Wisconsin’s Act 12 mandated that Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) have police officers serve as school resource officers.

More than a week now, a judge mandated that MPS and the City of Milwaukee follow through on this by this Thursday. However, new documents filed in the case show the city and MPS will miss the deadline, as they arrive back in court Thursday morning.

What You Need To Know

  • Milwaukee Public Schools and the City of Milwaukee are back in court Thursday, to demonstrate they've followed a judge's orders to implement school resource officers

  • Court records indicated the City of Milwaukee will miss that court-ordered deadline

  • City officials filed a motion to be relieved of that previous judgement

  • Milwaukee's attorney said SROs need state-required specific training. Additionally, MPS and the city has yet to sign a funding agreement

During a Feb. 17 court hearing, Judge David Borowski gave both the school district and city until Feb. 27 to add 25 school resource officers (SROs).

“This judge is going to hold you accountable. This judge is going to make you comply with the law,” Borowski said.

This was originally supposed to be done more than a year ago, in accordance with a state law known as Act 12.

MPS parent Charlene Abughrin filed a lawsuit last October, after the city and district did not meet the Act 12-mandated deadline to implement police officers in schools as SROs.

“Nobody gets to just blatantly not follow the law,” Abughrin said.

Evan Goyke, city attorney, filed a motion in advance of the Thursday’s court hearing, asking the judge to relieve the city from his ordered-deadline.

Goyke said from “a risk management perspective, the city cannot deploy officers” without the proper resource officer training.

He said Wisconsin requires SROs to receive 40 hours of specific training from the National Association of School Resource Officers.

In a statement to Spectrum News, Goyke said the city believes “the specific training required by state law is critical to the long-term success of the program.” Additionally, he said the decision to move forward without the training “places too much risk on city taxpayers.”

A funding agreement between the school district and city also has not been signed.

On Feb. 17, the judge ordered MPS and the city each pay half of the cost of the SROs.

The Milwaukee School Board of Directors authorized its spending of the court-ordered portion.

“We’re ready to accept officers as soon as they are available,” Marva Herndon, the president of MPS’ board, said.

But the city attorney’s motion said Milwaukee Common Council still needs to meet to approve the memo of understanding between MPS and the City of Milwaukee.

The motion said the city is expected to meet on March 3 on the funding issue.

If the judge finds that the City of Milwaukee and MPS are not in compliance, he could find them in contempt and levy fines against both.

The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) also has a job posting for SROs. MPD is accepting applications through March 3.

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