Public school students walk out of class to protest the presence of police officers on campus

In a move sure to brighten the moods of area criminals, a handful of Portland, Oregon, public school students walked out of class Wednesday to protest police officers stationed on campuses — also known as school resource officers, KATU-TV reported.

Nearly 20 students showed up to the protest outside city hall, the station said.

Sophia Lucas, a senior at Jefferson High School, gave a speech saying, "we as PPS students are extremely disappointed in the school board's actions and believe that police do not have a place in our schools," KATU reported.

Lucas added that school resource officers make students feel unsafe, contribute to discrimination in schools, and can lead to hostile and unsafe school environments, the station added.

"Stationing police officers in schools will further contribute to an environment of fear and distrust," Lucas also said, KATU reported.

In the below video, an adult appears to lead students in a chant:

More from the station:

In December, the Portland Public School Board approved an agreement to put SROs on campus more often, Monday through Friday instead of just four days a week.

The agreement means Portland Public Schools will help fund the school police officers. The district has not been paying for them for the past 20 years.

It's now up to Portland city commissioners to approve the decision. The protesting students are asking commissioners to cut back on SROs in schools.

Anything else?

Students also created a YouTube account titled "No SROs PDX" and posted a new video Wednesday morning.

A white student who attends a school with mostly black students and students of color said in the video that seeing police on campus is "really triggering for a lot of my peers."

"I feel like it's taking away funding from things that could actually increase a safe environment, like psychologists and therapists," another student said in the clip.

(H/T: EAGnews)