For the past few months, Login Abudalla has protested against an increased police presence in Schenectady Schools. But come fall, there will be more officers in the halls.

“You can’t water the grass around the seed and expect the seed to grow; you have to water the actual seed itself,” said Abudalla.

The city council has approved a plan to increase the number of school resource officers from two to six. They will be assigned to the middle schools and a supervising officer will cycle throughout the district.

Abudalla had hoped for a different outcome.

“Yes, our school, we’ve had a large issue with fights, and when you’re coming out of a pandemic with no communication and you’ve become isolated, it’s going to take a toll on your mental health. It’s taken a toll on everyone’s mental health,” said Abudalla.

She says the money should be used to hire more social workers and therapists.

“We don't really talk about why people feel more comfortable throwing a punch rather than talking out their emotions, and it’s something that we need to have a conversation about,” said Abudalla.

Groups like the New York Civil Liberties Union have also voiced their concerns, pointing to the contentious racial history between the police department and the Black and brown community.

Abudalla says building trust with students is doable but will take time, and that the officers should not be armed.

“When you look through history and you look through reality, it’s always the same story: ‘I feared for my life’ and no justice was ever really done, and then it comes to a different name,” said Abudalla.

Members of the Schenectady Police Department have also taken part in the discussion. The officers are chosen from a pool of candidates, but ultimately, the district has the final say on which resource officers are selected.

Sgt. James Plowden grew up in the city of Schenectady and is in the running to become the district’s supervising school resource officer.

“Here at Mont Pleasant, I played my youth football, so I’m from the community. I’m part of the community, so I want to continue that with this new program,” said Plowden.

The selected officers go through de-escalation, conflict resolution and trauma-related training.

As someone who went to the same school that Abudalla attends now, Plowden says he hopes that the program will help strengthen relationships in the community and most importantly provide protection.

“What happened in Texas was soul-crushing. Having officers available and ready, our officers will walk the schools, be a part of the school,” said Plowden.

And when it comes to expanding mental health resources, Plowden is on the same page.

“I wish there were more resources; I think there should be more resources. I believe they all work together,” said Plowden.

After graduation, Abudalla plans a double major in international relations and human rights. And even though her time at this school is coming to an end, she hopes that the conversation on this topic will continue.

“It’s either you’re on this side or that side, but no one has really come to a bipartisan time to bring them to the table to find a good solution that works for everyone,” said Abudalla.