In response to community concerns about the reintroduction of school resource officers—armed police patrolling schools—the Charlottesville City School Board will host a work session at Charlottesville High School on April 16 at 5pm. A coalition including students, community activists, the Legal Aid Justice Center, and the Charlottesville Education Association will hold a rally in opposition to the reintroduction of SROs immediately before the meeting.
Debate about SROs in local schools has persisted since at least 2020, when the Board voted to remove police and introduced the Care and Safety Assistant program. In March 2025, the Board voted 4-2 to bring backSROs after a string of fights at CHS.
Efforts to select new SROs are reportedly under way. Per the current agreement between the Board and CPD, officers would return to schools for the 2026-27 school year…