Moore Police substituting in public schools had mixed reactions

MOORE, OKLA (Free Press) — On Tuesday, January 18th, the Moore Police Department announced that they had several on-duty officers who acted as substitute teachers in elementary classes around the City of Moore. 

Proudly, the post went on to outline how the officers were serving the community in a great time of need, filling the spaces left by district-wide staff shortages.

Moore PD
Screenshot: Moore PD Facebook page

But the image of officers, armed and unmasked, teaching elementary kids the ABCs did not sit well in some parents eyes. 

“Wait, I’m confused. What are they covering? Are they there as substitute teachers? If so, then why are they in uniform and armed??? And they are covering due to COVID shortages, but are doing so unmasked? Nothing about this makes any sense…” said one commenter below the Facebook post.

Comments like this lambasted the officers for not taking covid precautions or presenting armed within the school, but often asked questions no news outlets were able to answer. 

Moore PD
One reaction on Facebook that was similar to others. Screenshot.

After giving the issue some time to cool down, I was able to ask Lt. Kyle Johnson at the City of Moore’s Police Department some questions the community wanted to be answered.

But first, we should get to know the executive order that facilitated officers as substitutes.

Executive Order 2022-01

With the Omicron variant setting record case counts, Oklahoma Public Schools have dealt with extreme staffing shortages. 

When teachers get sick, there are not enough substitute teachers to keep school running in-person every day. 

Some districts have chosen to go completely online for a time when this happens, but there are still people who want schools to stay open.

Governor Kevin Stitt’s January 18th executive order seeks to solve that by allowing state employees to step in as substitute teachers if the need arises, effective for 120 days. 

Stitt wrote that “Recent staffing shortages are affecting many Oklahoma public schools’ ability to remain open…

As I have repeatedly made clear, students deserve and need the right to an in-person education, and the state has a responsibility to ensure that right remains intact. The alternatives–closure of schools and/or virtual classrooms in lieu of in-person teaching–adversely impact our children’s futures, parents’ ability to work and provide for their families, and our economy that has thrived as Oklahoma has remained open for business. In light of these issues and having heard from concerned Oklahomans, I find it necessary to immediately implement a creative strategy to utilize our state agencies dedicated and talented workforce to fill a critical gap.

— Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt

According to the order, State employees who step in as substitutes will be paid exactly as they were, with no threats to their employment, leave, or other benefits.

That allows some 32,000 Oklahoma state employees the opportunity to teach in classrooms, as long as it does not negatively impact the employee’s respective agency.

The Moore Police Department was one of the first instances of an agency using the order.

Why were the officers armed?

The Officers were still on-duty.  They were never taken off “patrol.”

And, the officers were not employed by the school as substitutes, either.

As Lt. Johnson put it, “All were on duty and were paid by the police department…. A crisis event can happen, so the officer takes the community service hat [off] and puts on the law enforcement officer hat.”

They were on-duty police officers, working as police officers. They have to be equipped as such.

Another big question focused on the officer’s COVID precautions.

Why were the officers not wearing masks?

According to Lt. Johnson, they were abiding by every mandate (or the lack thereof) put in place by the school systems they served.

“The schools were not mandating masks, we were adhering to all current school policies and state or local laws.” 

The post itself supports this, with images of maskless students alongside the officers. 

He explained some covid protocols the Department has, like wall-mounted ionizers to keep the air clean and regular temperature checks that ensure Officers are isolated if showing symptoms.

Several in the community wonder why it was the police department that served the classrooms when the executive order allows any of the thousands of state employees to serve in that capacity.

Why were the substitutes Police Officers?

Sheer urgency played a big part.

Lt. Johnson believes that talks of the Moore Police Department stepping in as substitutes started Friday, the 14th, and police were first seen in classrooms in this capacity Tuesday, the 18th. 

Background checks have to be made on any civilian intending to be a substitute, which takes time. The lack of school employees was sudden, with “A large number of people [Developing] symptoms quickly,” according to Lt. Johnson.

Also, The Moore Police Department has a unique connection with the school system that very little other municipalities can claim.

Tornadoes have hit Moore schools and often, the Police are the first to respond. These, along with some of the recent fatal incidents involving students, have prompted a stronger relationship between the school system and the Moore Police department than may be the case in other communities.

And even the officers pictured in the Facebook post were part of a special divisions department that focuses on school involvement, said Johnson.

Will Police Officers teach classes in Moore again?

It’s not likely.

Lt. Johnson made it clear that this was more of a “one-time thing,” and not something the Department seeks to repeat.

They have “No intent to take the place of teachers, we strive to provide a service,” said Johnson. And, in that case, the service was to teach.

Lt. Johnson made the event sound like another one of the many instances of community involvement by the Moore Police Department. 

“The job is 50% law enforcement, 50% community involvement,” he said.

Mayor of Moore Glenn Lewis would later remark of the officers’ service in a city council meeting, “I really appreciate you doing that, and I think it was a good positive effect for the community.”


Author Profile

Damian Powell is our government reporter for the smaller municipalities in the OKC metro such as Moore, Norman, Bethany, and Warr Acres. Damian is studying Political Science at the University of Oklahoma.