Santa Rosa City Schools campus safety discussion is tonight. Here’s what you should know

Tonight’s 6 p.m. Santa Rosa City School board meeting is poised to be one of the most closely watched if not highly attended public meetings in years in Sonoma County.

Community members have been calling on trustees to address mounting safety concerns, amplified in recent weeks, after a stabbing at the district’s biggest high school campus and a lockdown just a week later when a student brandished a knife at a middle school.

The public outcry includes those who feel little has been done by the district since a student was fatally stabbed on Montgomery High School’s campus in March.

The board has a discussion about campus safety on its regular agenda, but it’s unclear if any action will be taken.

Over the weekend, amid pressure from City Hall, district administrators announced police officers would return duty on the district’s high school campuses and visit middle school campuses until the start of winter break.

A parent-led coalition has been pressing for the permanent return of campus officers. The school board in 2020 suspended the district’s officer program with Santa Rosa Police Department and later opted not to renew it, citing changes needed to address reported bias and other concerns.

A majority of the board that reached that decision is up for election next November.

The Press Democrat will have live updates from the school board meeting, starting around 6 p.m. Check pressdemocrat.com for coverage.