Flatwater Free Press

When Katy Eilers first learned officers at OPS carried the shock gloves, she called her son’s school, Millard North High, to ask if the officer there did, too. In a recorded conversation shared by Eilers, Rebecca Kleeman, spokeswoman for Millard Public Schools, returned her call, confirming they did. At this realization, Eilers, on the verge of tears, asked Kleeman if she could guarantee the officer would know about her 16-year-old son’s heart condition and not shock him. “I am not the least bit worried about this, but I can sure tell you are,” Kleeman responded, “and I want to keep you on the phone until I can reassure you.”  Kleeman then asked her, “Is your son going to slam someone to the floor and try to kill them?” Eilers responded no. “Is he going to pull a weapon on someone in the middle of the school and try to kill somebody at school?” Kleeman asked. “No, ma’am,” Eilers said again. “Your son’s going to be just fine, ma’am,” Kleeman responded. 

Kleeman said in an email to Flatwater that she was trying to reassure Eilers and convey that officer use of force in schools is rare, reserved for situations presenting an imminent threat to students or staff. On reflection, Kleeman said, she would have conveyed that to Eilers with less extreme examples. But Eilers remains unassured. She said she knows SROs can use force on students for nonviolent situations, too, ones where they may simply be resisting. And her son, who has autism, can have outbursts or difficulty communicating. “It crosses my mind at least once a day if my son’s going to get misinterpreted or something,” she said, “And get the glove instead of the care he needs.”