BLM protesters want police-free schools

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — One of the latest unofficial demands Lexington protesters are discussing right now is no more police in public schools.

People around the country are talking about it and what it would mean.

In recent years, people started demanding police officers be placed in schools in an effort to prevent shootings.

Now, protesters supporting the “Black Lives Matter” movement want officers removed from schools.

Jefferson County teacher Emilie Blanton says last school year was the district’s first without school resource officers (SROs) and she didn’t really notice a difference.

“For me me growing up as a white person I was able to look at a police officer as a person that keeps me safe, and not all of my students can say that. Not all of my students have had good experiences with police officers which is not to say that all police are bad,” says FCPS teacher Emilie Blanton.

As for shootings, she thinks SRO’s don’t always deter them.

“I know in Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the police officer hid, the SRO hid while people were killed. And I don’t know what I would do if an AR-15 was in my building,” says Blanton.

“We did have a school shooting in JCPS that was prevented by our SRO. But I always point out that he was an awesome relationship-building SRO. Kids looked up to him, he stayed after school and coached when he really didn’t have to. That was a relationship with stopped that,” says Blanton.

She says in her school she personally doesn’t like the idea of having an armed, uniformed police officer.

“If you walk through a metal detector, and then see an armed police officer, that’s a lot for a kid to take in,” says Blanton.

But she still thinks some security is necessary.

We asked you what you think and got responses from both sides.

One person commented on our Facebook post, “Sure, remove police from schools, then when the next mass shooting happens do not cry about it,” while another commented, “Seriously, I’m 32 we didn’t have police in schools. This is America, not a police state.”

We reached out to some of our area school districts to get their opinions but haven’t heard back.

Kentucky Education of Association says it doesn’t have a comment on this at this time.