Somerville Public Schools (SPS) is initiating a process to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Somerville Police Department (SPD) regarding the potential placement of a School Resource Officer (SRO), at Somerville High School and Next Wave/Full Circle. As part of this process, SPS is engaging students, staff, and families through focus groups in the months of May and June 2026, to gather feedback on key elements of the MOU, including the role of the SRO, and expectations for school-based support. This engagement is intended to ensure that the MOU reflects safe, supportive, and equitable learning environments.

Context
Somerville High School had a school resource officer (SRO) up until March 2021. We are now one of the only high schools in the greater Boston area without an SRO. While we have invested significantly in social emotional supports, restorative justice and security, the fact remains that SPS still interacts with SPD on a regular basis to handle safety and security matters beyond the scope of SPS staff.

Last year there were over 300 interactions with SPD; while many of these interactions were pre-planned staffing at events and dealing with fire and security alarms, SPD was also on hand to support “swatting” incidents (false but serious threats to the school), weapons searches, fights outside of the school building and in nearby areas, helping handle intruders, handling reports of crimes against staff and students, supporting runaway teens and more.

The idea behind restoring the SRO is to have a dedicated police officer who can build strong relationships with students, staff and families, and engage in preventative actions. Having a dedicated police officer on site will help prevent the need for many of the calls to SPD, will help avoid any unnecessary escalation, and will give students, staff, and families quicker access to a trusted law enforcement officer in times of need.

Key Definitions
A “school resource officer” (SRO) is a police officer with special training to: provide law enforcement, promote school safety and security, and maintain a positive school climate for all students, families and staff. They are primarily stationed in the schools and become an integrated part of the school community.

Your input on this survey is very important to us. Thank you in advance for your time.