After testy exchange, school board chair tells officer to remove public commenter

Rochester school board chair and Rochester Police Officer Shane Downs (School meeting screenshot)

ROCHESTER - Rochester School Board chair Shane Downs told a Rochester Police Officer to remove a speaker from City Council chambers during Thursday night's public comment session.
The speaker, Tim Wells, did not want to give his street address, but it appeared that Downs had no appetite to reason with the Barrington, man, who has family who are students in the Rochester School system.
The police presence at Rochester school board meetings began recently, according to board member Sandy Keans, who is currently being investigated for alleged ethics violations by Rochester's Ethics Board.
Meanwhile, Jared Fulgoni was hired as interim superintendent while the job status of current Rochester Schools Superintendent Annie Azarloza remains unclear more than a month after the formal investigation into her alleged wrongdoing was completed.
School officials remain tightlipped on her future in Rochester, however, she remains on paid administrative leave.
Azarloza has been on paid leave since February, less than a year after she was hired for $170.000 a year.
A March 29 email obtained by The Rochester Voice sent by Downs to board members stated that "While the investigation into (Azarloza) is complete, the matter has not yet reached a final resolution, and it remains an open personnel matter."
Downs, a Rochester Police patrol officer has recently been criticized after coming under fire for signing a memorandum of understanding between the Rochester Police Department and the school department that lists "best practices" as mutually agreed to by both parties, but gives deference to police in how to handle all "criminal acts" in Rochester schools.
A petition for Downs' removal accuses him of "pushing for criminal charges against special needs children--a step that is not only harsh and unjust but fundamentally misconstrues the role of educational leadership. This also violates Federal laws," the petition states.
The MOU was passed on a voice vote at the school board's March meeting after Downs said it had been sent down by the state and the school board could do nothing to change it. "There's nothing we can do about it," he said prior to getting a unanimous voice vote to approve the MOU.
Part of the MOU states that all school and disciplinary policies "are not intended to nor shall it usurp the mandates and responsibilities of the School Resource Officer, the Rochester Police Department and the Attorney Generals Office."
The MOU was signed in March by Rochester Police Chief Gary Boudreau, Downs, and Rochester Schools Assistant Supt. Allison Bryant, who will soon be leaving to become the assistant superintendent in Exeter.
Many in the Rochester school community see Downs' position as having a clear conflict of interest, but Boudreau told The Rochester Voice earlier this month he doesn't see it that way, because Downs is not a school resource officer.
Meanwhile, a petition to reinstate Azarloza circulating online says that "despite a completed investigation the school board has refused to share the results with the public and they continue delaying her return, withholding transparency, and blocking the leader who was driving real, legal, and student-centered reform."
It concludes "Annie stood up for children's rights. She ensured compliance with state and federal law. She brought compassion, courage, and integrity to a district that desperately needed it. Now, it's time for the community to stand up for her."
The petition now has more than 220 signers.
Downs told The Rochester Voice on Friday that the presence of an officer was justifiable at Thursday's meeting.
"Unfortunately, in the days leading up to the meeting, credible threats were made on social media," he said. "In light of these developments, the decision to hire a police detail was made strictly as a precautionary measure, with the sole aim of ensuring the safety and security of all attendees, Board members, and staff, and to allow the meeting to proceed in an orderly manner."

Downs, who did not elaborate on the nature of the "threats," added that police officers attending school board meetings is to help attendees feel safe and secure.
"Our goal is never to deter community involvement; rather, the presence of law enforcement is to create a secure environment where all voices can be heard without fear of disruption or harm."