Portland Public Schools Suspends Agreement Paying For Police

PORTLAND, OR – That didn't take long. Just weeks after Portland Public Schools approved a plan to pay the Portland Police Bureau to provide nine officers to patrol public schools, they've changed their minds. At their meeting Tuesday night, the district's school board voted to suspend the agreement.

They were reacting to a large outcry from students who felt that they had not been included in the discussions. There was also a large contingent of parents who objected to the plan.

Under the agreement, the district would have paid $364,000 this year and then $1.2 million a year for the next three years. It would have replaced the current system that has school resource officers that are paid by the police bureau.

Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts

There would have been one armed officer for each of Portland's nine high schools and the schools that feed into it.

The district plans to work more closely with students and parents to develop ways to keep schools safe.

File photo via Portland Public Schools.