St. Cloud Schools Renew Agreement with Local Police

ST. CLOUD -- While some schools around the state are choosing to terminate their partnerships with local law enforcement agencies in the wake of the death of George Floyd, the St. Cloud Area School District has decided to renew their agreement.

At Wednesday night’s school board meeting, District 742 announced they have renewed their agreement with the St. Cloud, Waite Park, and St. Joseph police departments for the 2020-2021 school year.

Commander Brett Mushatt with St. Cloud police previously served as a School Resource Officer at Tech High School. He says SROs work to build lasting positive relationships with students and create a safe-learning environment not to serve as disciplinarians.

It is of the utmost importance that the SRO establishes positive relationships and bonds with the students. It is believed that the interaction between the child, police officers, school faculty, teachers, and parents will be effective in achieving a safe environment where learning and socializing can take place.

The only change to this year’s agreement is that SROs are now classified under the Community Engagement Division. SROs have been in St. Cloud schools since 1992.

The St. Cloud Police Department also runs several programs for students outside of school hours including the St. Cloud Youth Leadership Academy and Bigs in Blue.