For the past 15 years, the village of Oak Park has assigned a police officer to work every day at Oak Park and River Forest High School. The position is called a “School Resource Officer.” Back at the tail end of the last century, it seemed almost disturbing that there was a perceived need to have an armed officer in our public school. Now the idea of not having an officer on campus seems reckless.
Times have clearly changed.
Another change is coming forward as village government and the District 200 school board are expected this week to enter into a new pact. Under this agreement, the high school will take on the financial burden of providing the officer for the next 10 years after the village carried the cost since 1999. Beginning in 2024, the two taxing bodies expect to split the cost.
This is a small thing, and we get that ultimately the dollars in the officer’s pay envelope come from the same wallet of the same taxpayer. But it is a positive sign of collaboration between two entities that have quarreled more than they have cooperated in the recent past.
Dr. Steven Isoye, OPRF’s superintendent, told us last week that in other districts a cost-sharing arrangement is typical. So he sees fairness in OPRF picking up the cost for a decade before a split is begun.
Beyond dollars, though, we continue to look for greater cooperation between our high school and our police department. In recent years under new leadership, the school’s security department has taken a range of steps to tighten up the campus. From restricting campus access, to outsiders to clearing halls more quickly and cutting tardies, to last week’s Journal report on a new anonymous tip line for students and parents to use to report potential issues, OPRF has made thoughtful changes.
We’d like to see more routine sharing of information between the school and police on more or less mundane but still criminal activities at the school, particularly theft. A few years back when an internal ring of thieves was grabbing up cellphones and pricey calculators, it was clear that the school and police were not working well together. We need to do better.