FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Austin Parrish, 651-297-8407
Austin.Parrish@house.mn.gov
News Release
REP. KRESHA URGES DFL SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL RESROUCES OFFICER LAW FIX
ST. PAUL – With 44 Democrat lawmakers declaring that they do not support a fix to law that has left dozens of schools without school resources officers (SROs), State Representative Ron Kresha (R – Little Falls) is urging those Democrats who remain undecided to join with Republicans in asking Governor Walz to call a special session and work together on a solution.
“While a segment of the DFL caucus does not think losing school resource officers is a problem, all 64 House Republicans do,” Rep. Kresha said. “The reality is we only need a handful of Democrats who want to put student and teacher safety ahead of the wants of the radical liberals who hate police.”
Rep. Kresha said the new law changes what SROs are allowed to do to de-escalate aggressive or violent situations, taking away tools they can use to keep students and teachers safe. In response, over 40 law enforcement agencies have pulled SROs from schools across Minnesota.
House and Senate Republicans have urged Governor Walz to call a special session to clarify the SRO language that is now in law. In response, 44 Democrat lawmakers stated they do not support a special session, preferring to leave the law alone.
Rep. Kresha said political games should not be played with student and teacher safety, and urged Democrats to do the right thing and join Republicans in addressing law enforcement’s concerns with the new law and bringing SROs back to the schools that have lost them.
“In politics, the easy solution is to never rock the boat, but if even one student or teacher is harmed in a school that has lost their SRO, then the State of Minnesota has failed them,” concluded Rep. Kresha. “I call on my DFL colleagues to do what’s right and work with Republicans on a common sense solution.”
###