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), I am 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.

Safety and security in Minnesota schools is a top priority and critically important to making sure that students can reach their full academic potential. It is concerning that Democrats continue to be controlled by the anti-law enforcement factions of their party. By effectively removing SROs from dozens of school districts across the state, they are putting thousands of students, teachers, and staff at risk. We need a special session to fix this immediately and provide clarification that school districts and law enforcement need. Thankfully, we need only a handful of principled Democrats need to stand up to their party and do the right thing by joining us.

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.

Political games should not be played with student and teacher safety, and I urge 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.