The mic was cut off before students Isabel Mace-McLatchie and Sarah Steele had a chance to finish speaking. The two Jefferson High School (JHS) seniors were delivering public comment at the December 11 meeting of the board of directors of Portland Public Schools (PPS), urging the board to delay a vote on a formalized agreement to pay the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) more than $1 million a year for full-time, armed police on campus.
The board passed the agreement later that evening.
The day before, Mace-McLatchie and Steele were told by PPS that they’d have six minutes—three each—to read through their statement. But at the meeting, they were told they’d only get four minutes to share their concerns.
“That was one of the most frustrating things for me,” Mace-McLatchie told the Mercury. “That moment kind of embodied the way PPS has prioritized and dealt with students.”
