MILWAUKEE — In a vote Thursday night, the Milwaukee Public School board voted to end their contract with the Milwaukee Police Department.
The vote comes after protesters gathered outside of MPS on Wednesday.
The $478,000 yearly contract allowed for the schools to have up to six officers available to respond to incidents on school grounds.
Protesters were asking that that money go towards helping students in other ways.
Students and parents were also protesting because they were concerned about MPS leaders' willingness to call the police when something happened.
One student spoke with our Rebecca Klopf during the protests Thursday.
"We had senior pranks. I don’t think the police should have been called for our senior prank. Bringing eggs and toilet tissue to school. There shouldn’t be police outside of school giving us tickets for doing our senior prank,” said Madison Walker who attended Rufus King High School."
Prior to the decision, the Milwaukee Police Department issued a statement regarding the vote. They said, no matter the turnout, they will continue to support MPS and MPS students.
"We agree with the many voices from our community who believe that the funding should be reinvested into our public school system to support social services. Regardless of the vote, MPD will continue to support MPS and MPS students," they wrote.
