School board member wants to replace school police dept.

BY DAN HILDEBRAN

ClayCivic.com Publisher

KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— School board member Erin Skipper told her colleagues that she wants the school district to abolish its police department and instead contract with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office to provide security at the district’s 52 schools.

Skipper announced her intentions during the board’s June 29 meeting after attempting to propose a motion. Board chair Ashley Gilhousen told Skipper she could not introduce a motion that had not been previously advertised in the board’s agenda.

“We are in the business of education and not law enforcement,” Skipper said. 

The board member added that she did not like the department’s chain of command, with ultimate decision-making authority resting with Superintendent David Broskie rather than with a law enforcement professional.

“Case in point:” Skipper said, “after almost four years, our P.D. is still not accredited or officially started the process to be.”

The board member also claimed that under the current setup, delays in communication exist between school district police and the sheriff’s office, drawing a parallel to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in 2018.

“If a catastrophic event were to occur, currently, we dispatch to Green Cove, and it eventually gets to CCSO, she said, “which to me screams Parkland all over again.”

Skipper added that the district’s police department lacks specialists like detectives who investigate sex crimes and evidence technicians.

She also said the district’s contingency plans for responding to an active shooter were not drafted by school police but by the sheriff’s office.

The board member, who represents Fleming Island, also questioned the fiscal responsibility of maintaining two separate law enforcement agencies when one could do the job.

Two additional board members said they were open to reviewing the role of the school district police.

“I do think there have been a lot of changes in the last five years, and it’s our responsibility to review it, so I think it’s a great idea,” said Beth Clark, who represents Orange Park.

“It’s no secret that while on the campaign trail, I did express some concerns about having an internal police force,” added District 4 board member Michele Hanson, who represents the Keystone Heights and Middleburg areas.

Skipper pushed Gilhousen to place the matter on the board’s August agenda, which the chair agreed to do.

However, Oakleaf representative Mary Bolla said she doubted she could vote on the matter next month.

“We need information,” she said. “We need compare and contrast. We need to be able to seriously look at dollars, as well as personnel.”

Bolla also responded to Skipper’s criticism that the school district police department has not yet been accredited, pointing out that neither the Orange Park nor Green Cove Springs police departments are accredited.

The board agreed to discuss the matter at a future workshop.