Brockton School Committee members issue a request for the deployment of National Guard personnel as part of their efforts to quell violence amid safety concerns.
The members, including Joyce Asack, Tony Rodrigues, Claudio Gomes, and Ana Oliver called on the city's mayor to ask Gov. Maura Healy for support. They sent the letter to Mayor Robert Sullivan on Thursday.
They asked him to request for National Guard support to "assist in restoring order, ensuring the safety of all individuals on the school premises, and implementing measures to address the root causes of the issue we are facing."
On Monday, the members who wrote the letter confirmed that it had been sent to Healey's office. However, the mayor issued a statement that afternoon, saying that he does "not support utilizing the National Guard at Brockton High School."
Sullivan said that while they appreciate the suggestions put forth by the four school committee members, such measures are not appropriate. Instead, he said that they are committed to employing a collaborative approach that would involve the entire community, including parents, students, educators, and law enforcement, in order to address the problems head-on, as per Boston 25News.
The mayor also said that they need to give their administrators the tools they need to keep order in the school. These include amending certain State rules and regulations that currently stifle these efforts. Sullivan added that deploying members of the National Guard is not the answer to the problem.
During a press conference that was held outside the high school around noon, the four School Committee members spoke about why they were requesting the deployment of the National Guard. They said that anyone who supports safety within schools in the community would also support the National Guard coming to the area to keep students safe.
Rodrigues added that school officials were looking to get the support of the National Guard so that they could "act as substitute teachers and hall monitors to make sure that the establishment is safe. He noted that the city's middle schools and elementary schools were also of concern.
Addressing Rising Violence in the Educational Institution
He also said that the four members who wrote the letter have taken a "leadership role" in making the request. Furthermore, he blamed the chair of the committee, Mayor Sullivan, for allegedly failing to develop a plan to curb violence in the school, according to the Boston Globe.
The mayor said that he forwarded the committee members' request to the office of Healey, as only the state's governor has the power to enact the National Guard. A spokesperson for the governor's administration, Karissa Hand, said that they were aware of the request and have been in touch with local officials.
The request comes as Brockton High School has experienced increasing turmoil this school year as many teachers publicly describe shocking levels of chaos and violence. The institution is the largest high school in Massachusetts.
Sullivan also met with Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez on Friday and a statement said that they further discussed school safety measures and protocols. It added that the increased efforts for students and staff is vitally important and is the desired timely result, said The Enterprise.
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