Board discusses pilot to expand SROs to middle schools; members press for rigorous, credentialed training

The New Haven Board of Education discussed a proposed pilot to expand School Resource Officer (SRO) support into seventh and eighth grades at its March 9 meeting, with administrators framing the effort as prevention, mentorship and early intervention rather than enforcement.

Superintendent Dr. Negron said the district plans to dedicate one SRO to work across middle‑school teams with the potential to add a second officer depending on pilot results. She emphasized relationship building and connecting students to extracurricular resources such as the Police Athletic League.

Interim Chief Zanelli explained the training plan presented for the pilot: restorative practices and nonviolent conflict‑resolution/de‑escalation training (described in the meeting as the John Lewis program used in the police academy). Zanelli said the district intends to divert habitual juvenile offenders to juvenile review boards when appropriate and to focus on mentorship and early intervention to reduce youth involvement in serious violence.

Board members voiced conditional support but pressed for rigorous training standards. Dr. Joiner and others said trainers should be vetted by the district’s human resources office and have relevant academic or clinical credentials to work with children and families; Dr. Joiner offered to consult on vetting. Mr. Wilcox asked the administration to review the five‑year committee report on SROs and any memorandum of understanding with the police so the board preserves successful local practices.

No formal vote to expand SROs was recorded in public session; the discussion resulted in commitments to supply additional details on training, vetting and the memorandum guiding SRO roles before broader implementation.

Next steps: administration will provide training materials, details of vetting procedures and the current memorandum of understanding for board review before the pilot begins.