The Alexandria City School Board held a public hearing on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) and the Alexandria Police Department (APD) on Tuesday (May 27). The hearing focused on proposed revisions to the agreement that governs the relationship between schools and law enforcement, including the role of School Resource Officers (SROs).
Four speakers addressed the board during the sixteen-minute hearing, expressing concerns about specific provisions in the proposed MOU. The primary issues raised include student privacy, access to educational records, and procedures for questioning students.
Mallory Lawhorne, a 2010 graduate of what is now Alexandria City High School, shared her unique perspective as the daughter of the retired sheriff who helped build the original SRO program.
“Our SRO program has always been designed as a community partnership aligned with goals of community-oriented policing promoted as mentor relationships,” Lawhorne said. “But that being said, I think the changes you are making take things a step too far.”
Lawhorne specifically objected to expanded SRO access to student records beyond what they currently have, pointing out contradictions in the updated MOU’s information sharing section.
“SROs are not ACPS employees. They are members of the Alexandria Police Department, assigned to the school to build relationships and react when necessary,” she explained. “Your paragraphs 3 and 4 directly contradict each other. 3 is the current consent access and then 4 is where you’re giving the SROs ACPS employee access. I don’t see what’s wrong with the current consent access.”
David Paladin-Fernandez acknowledged positive aspects of the MOU, including collaboration on emergency plans and additional training for SROs. However, he shared concerns about privacy protections.
“I do not believe it is wise to give SROs the potential access to students’ records protected by FERPA,” Fernandez stated. “How do we determine if an SRO is a school official with legitimate educational interest? If we need to carve out a protection for the most vital student records, what are our systems ensuring that information isn’t accessed unnecessarily?”
Fernandez suggested alternative approaches that maintain privacy while still allowing SROs to fulfill their duties. “If an SRO has a material suspicion and needs to get a student out of class, then they can ask administrators what class the student is in instead of accessing that full record,” he proposes.
Suzanne Berkey, participating via Zoom, opposed SROs having access to student records without clear parental consent. She also raises concerns about the language regarding student questioning.
“The MOU already recognizes that students often lack the maturity, experience, perspective and judgment to recognize and avoid choices that could be detrimental to them,” Berkey noted, quoting from the document. “And yet it allows any student, regardless of age, to be interviewed by police without fully understanding the ramifications.”
Nayantara Rizk, an ACHS staff member speaking solely on her own behalf, expressed concern about the blurring of lines between schools and police.
“I’m more concerned with how the MOU moves the schools and police closer together and risks making the two entities indistinguishable,” Rizk says. “My role as a school social worker is to be the liaison between the community and the school and to advocate on behalf of students and their families.”
Rizk worries that families who may have reasons to distrust police could transfer that mistrust to school staff. “Families shouldn’t feel like we’re working for the police. They have to see school as a safe space,” she emphasized.
The MOU under review is part of a biennial process, with the current agreement set to expire on June 30, 2025. The updated agreement would remain in effect until June 30, 2027.
According to the background information provided in the meeting materials, a joint School-Law Enforcement Partnership (SLEP 2.0) advisory group, consisting of both City and School representatives, developed recommendations that are incorporated into the proposed revisions.
The MOU outlines the roles and responsibilities of both ACPS and APD, including operational procedures for information sharing, investigations, questioning, searches, arrests, and physical interventions. It also addresses key statutory responsibilities related to crime reporting, threat assessments, and school safety audits.
School Board Chair Michelle Rief noted that no action is taken during the public hearing, as its purpose is to gather community input.
The School Board is scheduled to review the proposed changes at their Regular School Board Meeting tonight (May 29), with final approval required by June 30, 2025.
Agenda Item Details SUMMARY:
ACPS has a standing MOU with APD that requires review and approval every two years. The last MOU was reviewed and approved in June 2023. The final draft MOU with proposed changes is included as an attachment to this memo. All proposed updates were made from the signed June 2023 version of the MOU. Draft revisions were shared via the ACPS Safety and Security Webpage. Please note that the required public comment hearing on the draft revised MOU was held on May 27, 2025.
In order to maintain adherence to MOU review and approval requirement, the updated MOU must be signed no later than June 30, 2025.
BACKGROUND:
The last MOU was reviewed and approved in June 2023. A joint SLEP 2.0 advisory group (consisting of both City and School representatives) was formed via an adopted resolution in June 2023. The purpose of the SLEP 2.0 committee was to promote continuous improvement and collaboration regarding the roles of School Resource Officers (SROs) within schools. The SLEP 2.0 Committee began meeting in September 2023; five total meetings were held, culminating in a work session on March 19, 2024 in which it developed recommendations. The recommendations from this committee are incorporated into the redline version for the 2025-2027 MOU.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Superintendent recommends that the School Board review the proposed changes to the MOU.
IMPACT:
The Alexandria City Public Schools and Alexandria Police Department maintain a partnership via the ACPS/APD MOU that supports a safe and secure environment for students, staff, families and all others.
