SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield School Committee voted in April 2021 to give Springfield Police access to live and pre-recorded surveillance video inside schools. The vote was taken without any public participation, rendering the majority of students and parents unaware of the policy and many concerned about its implications. Members of Pioneer Valley Project (PVP) will hold a demonstration on Thursday, March 17th at 5 p.m. on the steps of Springfield City Hall (36 Court Street). The event will include the use of folding chairs to amplify the message that the community needs a seat at the table.
With questions around privacy, criminalization of students, and police transparency, this policy allows police unprecedented access to students inside the schools. The fact that the Springfield School Committee holds only four public speak-outs during the year means that policies like this one can be passed without any public participation.
“We are deeply concerned about the way that this policy came into existence in Springfield,” said Jeimy Pozo, parent and board member of Pioneer Valley Project. “It seems like our mayor and certain members of our school committee wanted this policy to pass quickly and behind closed doors without any way for us to learn more about it and ask any questions. Why would they do something like this when there’s so much at stake for our kids? We all want our kids to be safe but we need to have a say in what that looks like. It’s time for people who are elected to serve us in Springfield to learn that they can’t just make decisions that can have such huge consequences without hearing from us. We must have a seat at the table.”
The event will also be live-streamed on the Pioneer Valley Project Facebook page.
