Mayor O'Leary has appointed Officer Devan to the board of education. We are demanding that Officer Devan step down from her BOE position and instead have the mayor appoint a parent or educator of color who has the best interest of Waterbury students in their heart. Students in Waterbury do not need more police in their school system, especially more on the board. This is because the police in our schools have led to a large increase in school-based arrests. Waterbury only accounts for 3.5% of Connecticut's population and yet Waterbury accounts for 18% of school-arrest. A police officer in the board of education will lead to an increase in arrests and more marginalization of BIPOC students. Mayor O'Leary must understand the gravity of police officers like Ms. Devan having a seat in BOE; whose personal beliefs reflected on her social media and her career as a police officer are more connected to far-right conspiracy theories than a respected member of the board of education. For more information please visit our site at RACCE.NET