10.17.22 MEETING MINUTES - Laserfiche WebLink

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A Minutes of the Regular Meeting of Council Monday, October 17, 2022 Page 7 advice and support through their years at Mayfield High School in ways that they cannot relate to many events here in our community or even in their homes. He also sits with myself and my students who came to MHS from the Juvenile Court system and sets up plans as well as demonstrating the necessary growth to subside charges and not be deemed a repeat offender as an adult. I could go on and on about the support he gives to all of us at MHS. Without him I am concerned for my students' continued growth." The next one is from Jerry Turk, the Spanish teacher since, I believe, since the 90's: "During his nine years as our SRO, Stuart has been a tremendous asset and support to all that know him. In my 30 years as an educator at Mayfield High School, I have worked with four resource officers. While the previous three have done an excellent job in communicating with, educating and protecting our students and staff, none have had the connection that Stuart has had. Over the past three years, Stuart and I have walked the campus of the high school two to three times per week. I can state with confidence that I haven't seen any adult in my time here that is as loved and respected as Stuart. As we "patrol" the halls together, it's often difficult to cover the entire school because students call to him and run to him for their daily dose of encouragement and for a smile that tells our students that they matter and that they are important. No matter their race, creed, religion or language, the students at Mayfield High School respect Stuart. They come to him with their problems or just to share good news with him. There's no denying that Stuart is loved and respected by everyone. This is the point about Stuart's removal that concerns me most. I know that his replacement is trained and will do a great job, but I also know that many tragedies in our country's schools can be stopped because many times there are warning signs. Often the friends of a troubled student will have the sense that something is off and they will know that there is danger because the students talk to them. In Stuart, our students have a trusted adult in whom they confide on a daily basis. This trust and the strong relationship that he's built for our student body make him the best at what he does. I know this because I see it every single day. Stuart's rarely in his office because he's constantly moving, constantly being a positive presence in our halls, constantly being a friend to all of us." This one, I wrote it down for me, but I wanted to make sure I covered as much as I could. I have lived in the Mayfield community for all but two of my 49 years. I am a Mayfield graduate, a Mayfield High School teacher, husband of a Mayfield teacher, and the parent of two Mayfield students. To say the least, I am invested in the community. The recent removal of Officer Stuart has really left a bad taste in my mouth in regards to who's in charge to run our cities and those that are hired to lead the people that are supposed to keep us safe. After speaking with Chief Matias, I was told that it was his decision and he had the prerogative to do so. I tried to inform him about how the staff was feeling and he told me to tell the staff to talk to the Mayfield Administration. Why would we talk to the Administration? This was and is a Mayfield Village decision. Where's the responsibility? Where's the transparency? Why are people passing the buck on the safety and security of over 1500 people, let alone a man's reputation? Stuart is not just an SRO. He did everything for everybody. He built relationships with staff and students. He protected us when safety issues arose. He knows everyone's back story. He made kids feel that they mattered and he gave them hope. Mayfield High School's less safe because of your rash decision. Let's assume that Officer Stuart did something wrong. Let's assume that the issue with Officer Stuart was so