Seattle School Board Postpones Vote On School Engagement Officer Proposal

The Seattle School Board has postponed a vote on whether to move forward with a pilot program that would place a police officer at Garfield High School, a move that has stirred mixed reactions from the school community.

During its meeting Wednesday at the John Stanford Center, the board was expected to vote on the proposed School Engagement Officer (SEO) program. Instead, board members unanimously agreed to delay the decision until October 8, with the option to schedule a special session for an earlier vote. District officials say the additional time will be used for further community engagement and to draft a detailed Memorandum of Understanding with the Seattle Police Department outlining the officer’s responsibilities.

The proposed SEO position comes in response to concerns from Garfield students, families, and community members following a rise in on-campus violence. One of the most serious incidents occurred in June 2024, when Garfield student Amomar Murphy Payne was fatally shot. Calls for more immediate and visible safety measures have grown louder since.

Garfield Principal Dr. Tarance Hart has voiced support for the initiative, pointing to a history of successful police presence at the school prior to the district’s 2020 decision to remove School Resource Officers (SROs).

“Over the last four to five years our community has gone through a lot and experienced loss and community violence,” Hart said. “And Garfield has had a long-standing SRO program on campus that was successful by all measures—from community sort of feedback to staff feedback.”

Unlike the previous SRO model, the SEO would not be involved in discipline or arrests. Instead, the officer would focus on community engagement, relationship-building with students, and violence prevention.

“They’re trained and they’re not there to arrest or to discipline,” Hart said. “They’re there to be a part of the community and be a trusted adult for students.”

Garfield parent and alumna Karin Zauggblack also supports the plan. She believes the presence of a familiar and engaged officer could help prevent incidents before they happen.

“My sort of understanding and feeling is really that by [a] community officer getting to know the students… [they] can recognize when someone who is not a student, who is not supposed to be on campus, can be recognized,” she said.

“To me, it just seems like that’s an opportunity to work with organizations like Community Passageways and some of the other supports that we’ve been gathering to have at Garfield—more eyes on the school, more eyes on students.”

Zauggblack also pointed to the need for action based on her family’s own experience.

“My daughter’s best friend was shot at the bus stop at Garfield, and… she made it,” she said. “But also our community really still stands with Amar Murphy Payne’s family, just recognizing other students who have been victims of gun violence.”

“It’s a pilot,” she added. “It’s an opportunity to gather data, gather feedback, and really just see how it works.”

Acting Superintendent Fred Podesta emphasized that the SEO’s role will not overlap with school disciplinary procedures. “There are strong calls for clear guidelines that separate the SEO’s role from disciplinary actions,” he said.