The superintendent of Portland’s schools has spoken to the city about a homeless encampment near Portland High School, saying it comes down to safety.
Portland police told people at what used to be an encampment on Lancaster Street to pack up their stuff and leave Monday. This street is where a lot of Portland High School students park their cars, which raised concerns over student safety.
People who live near Portland High School said they don’t feel safe walking around at times, and they want something done.
Portland Mayor Mark Dion said finding that fix hasn’t been easy.
“They’re refusing services,” Dion said. “So there’s the dilemma.”
Dion said the shelters have plenty of beds, and they are even looking to open a day shelter.
“It’s a cycle,” Dion said. “They’ll go from there to another spot.”
Parents in the district said they wish the city could do more to protect the students, but the mayor said it must first start with the school board.
“I mean, once upon a time we had school resource officers, and the school community decided not to move forward with that strategy,” Dion said. “I wish I had them today, as then they could focus on that directly.”
Portland schools did away with school resource officers in 2020.
“We have limited resources,” Dion said. “I’m still 27 officers down for full staffing. There’s a consequence to that.”
The district didn’t immediately respond to a question about whether it is considering bringing back school resource officers.