Commissioner Santiago asks whether RPD role is reflected as board approves safety-plan resolutions

The Rochester Board of Education approved resolutions 186 and 187 adopting the districtwide safety plan on Friday, September 4, despite a question from Commissioner Santiago about whether the Rochester Police Department's (RPD) role is reflected in the document.

Commissioner Santiago noted that the safety plan is a "high level document" and asked whether the plan had been updated to reflect that "midyear will be shifting from RPD as the option as 1 of the safety options to something else." A staff member who reviewed the plan responded that "the safety plan does not have any specific references to, vendors that we contract out with," and that prior years' safety plans likewise did not mention the RPD even when it had been part of the district’s approach to safety.

The chair called the question and the board voted to approve the resolutions; the chair recorded multiple "Aye" responses and one "Nay." The resolutions were carried and entered into the public record.