San Mateo-Foster City schools, Foster City police agree to partner

Officials will also be involved if a student’s behavior violates criminal law like arson, assault or drug sales and may also be called to campuses during emergencies if the incident requires a response outside the district’s resources, according to the MOU. Any incident that begins at school and extends into the community would be handled by the police department, the MOU reads. 

After making the MOU public a month ago, Superintendent Diego Ochoa said overwhelming feedback on the agreement has been supportive. He also praised Foster City Police Chief Tracy Avelar, the police department and Foster City officials for their leadership and collaboration in drafting the agreement. 

“I’ve been doing this for a long time and I can tell you we are very, very lucky to work with Tracy Avelar. She’s a gem. She's really really experienced, thoughtful, focused. I just can’t say enough about my engagement with her through this process,” Ochoa said. “I think [the MOU] represents a really logical and effective step forward in having something memorialized with our police department.”  

At multiple points in the draft document, both parties agree to work collaboratively on a variety of issues from planning events, sharing information, prioritizing diversion and implementing restorative approaches to discipline, and reviewing the MOU annually. 

Avelar said in an email statement that “department practices already reflect the intent of the MOU so there will be no change for FCPD.”

“Having it laid out in protocol helps all of us in our mission to serve and protect the children and families of Foster City. We look forward to having added opportunities to engage with our youth in the schools,” Avelar said.  

This MOU process comes about three years after trustees voted to terminate its contract with the San Mateo Police Department, dissolving its school resource officer program which circulated law enforcement officers through the district’s middle schools. At the time, trustees cited inequitable discipline and inadequate data as the reasons for the decision but indicated they’d be interested in revisiting the matter down the road. 

Like Ochoa, board President Shara Watkins during this week’s meeting praised Avelar for her partnership and engagement since the district passed its resolution stating its intent to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. Trustee Alison Proctor said she felt good about the agreement and shared her support for “continuing this with San Mateo.” 

Watkins, Proctor and Trustee Maggie Trinh also thanked the broader teams behind crafting the MOU and those involved in developing other restorative practices meant to help steer kids onto a successful path through positive interventions. 

“I’m grateful for everyone's efforts in developing restorative practices so we can disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and also recognize some kids have way more trauma,” Trinh said. “They may not see the same models for emotional regulation or problem solving in their own families, so school is an important way we can show them there are alternatives.” 

sierra@smdailyjournal.com 

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