Exclusive: After Ending Police Contract, Minneapolis Schools Consider Former Cops For Revamped School Safety Role — And Activists Fear A ‘Dangerous’ National Trend

Exclusive: After Ending Police Contract, Minneapolis Schools Consider Former Cops for Revamped School Safety Role — and Activists Fear a ‘Dangerous’ National Trend

Education officials in Minneapolis are currently interviewing candidates for positions in the revamped school safety department, and more than half of the finalists have backgrounds in law enforcement, according to documents obtained by . This has caused concern among racial justice activists who celebrated the district’s decision to sever ties with the police department following George Floyd’s death. The district’s plan to replace officers with "public safety support specialists" has raised worries about regressing progress made after the recent protests.

Maria Fernandez, a senior campaign strategist at the Advancement Project, expressed her fear that other districts across the country may follow Minneapolis’s example and create their own internal security forces, perpetuating policing and criminalization. Among the 24 finalists, at least 14 have experience as police officers, corrections officials, or private security guards. Although more than half of the finalists currently work for the district in various capacities, including special education and student discipline, the prevalence of candidates with law enforcement backgrounds has alarmed education activist Kenneth Eban.

Karen DeVet, the district’s chief operations officer, emphasized the importance of having an emergency response and security plan in place before the start of the new school year. She clarified that the specialists being hired are not licensed law enforcement officials, but rather individuals trained to de-escalate conflicts and create safer environments. The specialist position drew controversy when the district initially posted a job description requiring criminal justice degrees and experience. However, the district later acknowledged the error and emphasized the importance of candidates’ ability to build relationships with students.

Despite considering restarting the hiring process, DeVet stated that the district felt confident in the strong pool of applicants they had received. This pool includes educators with master’s degrees as well as individuals from the law enforcement field with crisis experience. The district aims to improve school climate by addressing the root causes of students and families feeling unwelcome or unheard. The specialists will serve an immediate need while being part of a broader effort to create a more inclusive and supportive educational environment.

One candidate is involved in a program that mentors youth. Another applicant is a military veteran who currently works at a high school, assisting teachers in communicating with families who have limited English proficiency. In a cover letter, one candidate emphasized their dedication to fostering strong social and emotional skills among students, highlighting the importance of positive relationships in creating a safe, inclusive, and supportive school environment.

Several internal candidates already serve as deans, supporting administrators in student discipline and campus security. However, Marika Pfefferkorn, executive director of the Midwest Center for School Transformation and a proponent against police presence in Minneapolis schools, argues that the deans should have additional responsibilities as support specialists, including the ability to call police for backup. She criticizes the district for creating these positions without seeking community input and missing an opportunity to reimagine their approach to school safety.

Pfefferkorn states, "If you don’t actually change the culture of the system, you just replace who’s doing it."

The teachers union shares a similar perspective. Greta Callahan, president of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, compares the specialists to "rent-a-cops." Callahan clarifies that when they called for police-free campuses, they did not mean hiring private security officers as replacements. She uses an analogy of ordering a sandwich without mayo to emphasize that their intention was not to substitute one form of security with another.

Among the applicants, one currently serves as the head of security at a suburban school district, with a military police background and combat experience in Iraq. Another works for a private security firm at an Amazon distribution center. The third finalist is employed as a corrections officer at a suburban jail, responsible for resolving disputes, enforcing rules, and conducting security checks. The candidate’s resume highlights their training on trauma and institutional racism.

Rashad Turner, executive director of the Minnesota Parent Union, acknowledges the value of having candidates with law enforcement experience working for the district, while also appreciating the applicants who already work in education. Turner believes that individuals with knowledge of the law enforcement system, but who choose to serve students, could bring valuable perspectives. He notes that understanding the injustices within the law enforcement system could be beneficial in a role focused on student discipline. Turner suggests that the district’s decision to start the academic year remotely due to the pandemic could provide additional time for the specialists to receive training that prioritizes students’ best interests, rather than simply operating as strict monitors.

Community activist Eban takes a more assertive stance, arguing that the district should restart the hiring process altogether. Eban believes that the job posting’s requirement for criminal justice experience may have deterred some qualified applicants from applying. With the upcoming shift to remote learning, Eban questions why the hiring process cannot be restarted to attract a more suitable pool of candidates who can support students in the community in a different way.

Eban states, "I don’t understand why, knowing that we’re going into distance learning at the start of the year, this process cannot be restarted to find better applicants and finalists who can support students in our communities more effectively."

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