Seattle School Board rejects plan to bring police back to Garfield High School despite string of violent incidents

The Seattle Public Schools (SPS) Board voted 5–2 against reinstating police officers at Garfield High School as part of a proposed one-year pilot program, following nearly two hours of emotional debate Wednesday night. The vote marked the latest flashpoint in an ongoing struggle between concerns over student safety and fears of perpetuating the so-called “school-to-prison pipeline.”

The proposal would have reinstated the School Engagement Officer (SEO) program, a position eliminated in 2020 following the George Floyd riots that rocked the Emerald City. Calls to bring police back resurfaced after the 2024 on-campus killing of 17-year-old student Amarr Murphy-Paine, a varsity football player shot multiple times outside Garfield High while trying to break up a fight just days before graduation.

During public comments, parents and community members were sharply divided. Some called police a necessary deterrent against escalating violence, while others argued that reintroducing officers would endanger students of color.

“Now, families appreciate having them on the campus and around, but don’t bring them in the school when we’re working on the prison pipeline. You know that’s the cause that’s gonna send our kids to prison,” parent Emijah Smith told KOMO News.

In an effort to strike a compromise, the board approved an amendment restricting officers to responding only to outside threats and excluding any role in student discipline. Despite this limitation, several board members criticized the amendment as “rushed” and “politically motivated.”

The proposal for officers inside the school ultimately failed, with five votes against and two in favor. However, the issue is expected to resurface when new board members are seated after the November election.

The vote came just hours after Seattle police arrested a 60-year-old man accused of forcing his way into a high school, assaulting a security guard, and later threatening a teenager with a gun.

According to SPD, the man, walking two dogs, pushed past security to confront the school principal. After being told to leave, he later approached two teens in a nearby parked car on East Pike Street, screaming that they could not park there. Police said the man grabbed a 15-year-old by the neck while brandishing a knife and pointing a gun at him. The teen escaped and called 911. Officers later recovered two firearms from the man’s home after obtaining a search warrant. The suspect was booked into King County Jail for burglary and felony harassment.

Murphy-Paine’s family recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Seattle Public Schools, alleging that the district’s negligence and failure to follow security protocols directly led to his killing. The complaint cites multiple incidents on the same day as his death: a student entered a classroom wearing a ski mask and fired an airsoft gun at a teacher, injuring their face and upper body; and another student fled campus after refusing a backpack search for a suspected weapon.

The lawsuit claims SPS staff failed to alert the district’s Safety and Security Department or call 911, as required by policy. Between 2020 and 2024, Seattle police responded to nine reports of dangerous weapons near Garfield High, reinforcing claims that the district ignored repeated red flags.

Garfield’s tragedy is part of a larger pattern of escalating violence in Seattle schools since the district eliminated police presence in 2020:
 

•  A 17-year-old girl was shot at a Garfield bus stop in 2022.
• In 2023, a student was shot inside Ingraham High School.
• In 2021, Ingraham students were threatened by someone who drove on campus with an AR-15.
• During the pandemic, a violent homeless encampment took over part of the campus of Broadview-Thompson K-8, where the district failed to act even after students returned to in-person classes.

Critics argue that the decision to remove school resource officers, once stationed on campuses to build relationships and respond to threats, has left students and staff vulnerable to increasingly brazen acts of violence.

In response to mounting scrutiny, Seattle Public Schools has hired 16 security guards and 15 safety and security specialists assigned to campuses with higher rates of violence. These staff are unarmed and trained in de-escalation techniques, focusing on high-risk times such as lunch and class transitions.

While the district insists it can keep schools safe without police, many parents remain unconvinced. After multiple shootings, assaults, and ongoing safety failures, critics say the board’s vote reflects ideology over student protection.