Mankato East High School Brawl: Urgent call for Safety, Discipline and School Resource Officers

Written by: Elizabeth Hanke

The shocking incident at Mankato East High School, vividly captured on video, necessitates an urgent reassessment of the presence and function of SROs and disciplinary measures to be present within our schools. This incident demonstrates the frightening rapidity with which fights can spiral out of control, exposing students and staff to potential harm.

This regrettable lack of SROs on school grounds preceding this incident stemmed from apprehensions associated with recent legislative modifications that affect specific procedures concerning physical restraints on students. This adjustment has prompted similar cautious steps across various law enforcement bodies in Minnesota. The primary concern here revolves around the potential legal ramifications for SRO ‘s when utilizing restraints, now considered unlawful under certain circumstances. The new legislation permits the utilization of reasonable force to avert physical harm or death, albeit the criteria for this remain ambiguous, raising questions regarding liability and as a default they decide to not use restraints at all.

Mankato has had heated debates regarding the use of SRO’s in the past. In December 2020, the previous school board members; Ann Hendricks, Abdi Sabri, Jodi Sapp, and Judi Brandon, approved the removal of an SRO from Prairie Winds Middle School. While both East and West high schools retained committed SROs throughout the last academic year, legislative changes jeopardized that relationship at the beginning of the current term. Parents were informed that, although police support remains readily available, officers will no longer maintain a permanent presence on school grounds.

On September 9th, the school board released a message stating, “From building strong relationships with students to ensuring their safety, School Resource Officers (SROs) play an invaluable role in our schools. It is imperative that our lawmakers act immediately to provide the clarity necessary for our SRO’s to return to our school buildings. The safety of our students must rise above politics.”

Before this latest developments, the current school board approved the use of educational resources during their meeting on July 19th, which, amongst other points, said that reporting black individuals to the police is a form of “covert white supremacy.” This decision gives the impression that all police are inherently racist. Regrettably, the school board members, including Kari Pratt, Shannon Sinning, Patrick Baker, Elizabeth Ratcliff, Erin Roberts, and Kristi Schuck, approved this material for instruction without ensuring a presentation of multiple perspectives.

Maintaining different liability standards for the Mankato Area Police vs. SROs is confusing and needs to be clarified. It is essential to acknowledge that within any profession, there are individuals, including both police officers and teachers, who do not fulfill their responsibilities adequately. Consequently, there is a pressing need for increased accountability, transparency, civic oversight, and the ability for community stakeholders to raise anonymous complaints. These changes need to happen throughout both policing and education.

To advocate for the welfare of our students, teachers, and school administrators, including East Principal Akram Osman and Superintendent Paul Peterson, and to uphold the integrity of our law enforcement agencies and education professionals, I fervently encourage you to contact our school board and our state representatives advocating for discipline and safety.

You should advocate for consistent disciplinary measures and non discriminatory instructional materials when addressing our school board. When communicating with our legislators, convey the concerns arising from their proposed changes aimed solely at altering liability for School Resource Officers (SROs). These changes inadvertently create the impression that SROs intentionally jeopardize children’s safety or that state policymakers intend to undermine policing by defunding SRO programs.

It is essential to emphasize the importance of identifying and rectifying systemic issues within law enforcement and our education system. I am not an expert in these matters, but as a parent and a community stakeholder, I am exhausted by political controversies that point fingers, and the legislative changes seem to create more problems than they fix. As parents our primary aspiration is to ensure that our children receive a safe and high-quality education, providing them with the opportunities necessary to forge a promising future. I do not feel my children were receiving that in Mankato, Minnesota, within our public school, and that needs to change.

From one concerned parent to others;
Elizabeth Hanke

Our State Representatives – Senator Nick Frentz and Representative Luke Frederick, along with Attorney General Keith Ellison and Governor Tim Walz

[email protected]

Office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison

445 Minnesota Street, Suite 1400

St. Paul, MN 55101

PHONE: Twin Cities: (651) 296-3353

Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan

130 State Capitol

75 Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

St. Paul, MN 55155

Staffed office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Telephone Number: 651-201-3400

Mankato Area School Board Members: