23rd Ave’s Garfield High School will hold a forum Thursday night on the proposal to place a Seattle Police Department officer on campus as a school board vote on the proposal has been delayed.

Principal Tarance Hart announced the community forum with an “urgent” message to families earlier this week .

“The evening will include remarks from SPD and small-group discussions facilitated by trusted community partners,” the announcement reads. “These conversations will help guide how we approach safety, relationships, and support systems at Garfield moving forward.”

CHS reported here on Garfield’s end of school year remembrance of the 2024 campus parking lot murder of student Amarr Murphy-Paine, security changes at the 23rd Ave school, and the debate around a proposal to return an assigned School Engagement Officer to Garfield. Hart has said this was his first year at Garfield without gun violence since he became principal in 2021.

Previously known as community resource officers, the program was dropped by the district in the summer of 2020 during the height of Black Lives Matter protests against police killings when the school board suspended a partnership with SPD that provided five armed officers with rotations and placements across Seattle’s public schools.

Hart said details of a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Seattle Public Schools district and SPD “specific to Garfield” will be reviewed at Thursday’s meeting.

Seattle voters are set to vote on a new $1.3 billion school levy this fall that includes millions for improved campus security across the district as well as funding for restarting the school officer program. CHS reported here on the proposal to add a “School Engagement Officer” on Garfield High School’s campus as soon as this fall.

SPD’s new Chief Shon Barnes is a proponent. “Let me be unequivocal: I support the school resource officer program, and I have developed a vision for what this initiative could look like. However, as a servant leader, I recognize that my vision must not be the sole guiding force,” Barnes said earlier this year. “The program should reflect the collective vision of all stakeholders involved, including teachers, students, parents, administrators, and elected officials. Together, we can craft a program that serves as a national model for others to emulate.”

According to the Garfield PTSA, an expected Seattle School Board vote earlier this month was delayed.

Principal Hart says Thursday night’s discussions will include “organizations that have long supported our students, including Urban League, Community Passageways, the NAACP, Mothers Impacted by Gun Violence, Africa Town, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and others.”

“Their work in advocacy, mental health, and family support continues to strengthen our school community,” Hart writes. “All voices are needed. We hope to see you there.”

Garfield Community Forum
Date: Thursday, July 17
Time: 6-8 pm
Where: Garfield Commons

You can learn more from the Garfield PTSA here.

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