Akron Public Schools has requested that both officers involved in the forceful arrest of a Firestone CLC student , not just the school's resource officer, be removed from all Akron schools duties, Superintendent Michael Robinson said Monday night.
Security footage released by the district before the meeting shows the school's resource officer repeatedly punching a student in the head while he and another officer attempted to arrest the teen last week.
Mayor Shammas Malik had previously announced the school's resource officer has been moved to administrative duty and would not be assigned to a school in the future, no matter the outcome of a pending use-of-force investigation.
But Robinson said the district asked for both officers to be removed from any APS duties.
What happened during arrest at Firestone High School?
On Wednesday, a 16-year-old student on his way into school was arrested for allegedly evading the school's metal detectors and trying to push past school and security personnel. Video released by the district Monday showed the school's resource officer punched the student in the head at least three times before he was taken down to the ground.
The other officer, who was an Akron officer working a secondary employment security job at the school, did not appear to strike the student but was involved in the arrest. He is continuing to work his regular job in the Akron Police Department.
Per the agreement with APD, the school district can request the removal of any officer from its school resource officer program, which embeds officers into schools to provide security but also build relationships with students.
The second officer was not a part of that program, but would no longer be able to request such an assignment in the future, and would not work any secondary employment jobs in the schools or at school events.
The student was found to have a cellphone against APS policy but did not have a weapon. He was initially charged with several misdemeanors, including criminal trespassing and resisting arrest, but the city announced those had been dropped pending the use-of-force investigation.
Robinson said he has spoken with the student's mother and plans to speak with the student soon.
Robinson spoke about the incident at a school board meeting Monday night, reading aloud portions of a statement that had been sent out earlier in the day and answering questions from the board.
School board member apologizes for Firestone incident involving Akron officer
Board member Summer Hall asked about what additional measures could be taken to help students who may have witnessed the event or heard about it.
"I'm wondering if we can be proactive and not wait for students to come with an issue," Hall said.
Robinson said the district dispatched its crisis team, which includes mental health counselors, and the school's principal has already initiated conversations with students. He said those needed to continue.
"This is something that I think that we need to probably be discussing in a more deeper way in all of our schools, to be very honest with you," Robinson said.
Board member Barbara Sykes issued an apology to the student and his family, saying, "I hope that we will work to do everything that we can to help that particular family and that particular student."
She also apologized to the Firestone staff and students.
"I want to extend my sincere, my sincere apologies to all of the students at the Firestone CLC that had to see this, that had to hear about this," Sykes said.
She said she had not yet watched the video of the arrest.
"I'm not looking forward to seeing the tape, because when I see the tape, you know, I want to think about it as it relates to my child and what I would expect and want for my child," Sykes said.
She called for a review of policies and procedures, but did not call for any specific change.
"What it is that we can do within our system to make sure that this doesn't happen again?" she asked.
At the city's press conference, a Beacon Journal reporter asked if there were procedures in place that were communicated to officers in schools about how to handle situations in which a student sets off a metal detector or resists going through them.
Deputy Chief David Laughlin said he couldn't speak to the exact procedure as it was an Akron schools procedure. Police officers are not the primary staff used to assist students through the metal detectors, he said.
The mayor noted the practice of running all students through metal detectors at the beginning of every school day is relatively new for Akron schools, although metal detectors have been used in the past.
"This is an area that that we are going to work on going forward, because all of these issues — cellphones and Yondr bags, the screenings, metal detectors, the staffing and security needs — they're all, they've all been evolving and changing pretty significantly over the last few years," Malik said.
He also noted the contract with the school district for school resource officers expires at the end of the year.
"We we are going to be continuing to work with APS going forward on trying to partner and continue to improve those processes," he said.
Asked whether he believed the Firestone incident would prompt a larger conversation about the use of police in schools, Malik answered, "It is going to, yes."
Contact education reporter Jennifer Pignolet at jpignolet@thebeaconjournal.com, at 330-996-3216 or on Twitter @JenPignolet.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Public Schools wants both officers involved in forceful arrest at Firestone removed
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