A Bothell High School resource officer helped defuse a situation with an armed student days after the school board voted to eliminate his position.
BOTHELL, Wash. — Bothell Police Officer Garrett Ware was a trusted part of Bothell High School’s campus community for nearly a decade, but the North Shore School District school board voted 4-1 May 11 to eliminate his position, sparking student walkouts and a community-wide recall effort against the board members who supported the move.
Sources confirmed that just days after the vote, Ware helped defuse a situation on campus with a student armed with a knife, an incident supporters said underscores exactly why the position should remain.
“He’s just kind of a key part of Bothell and its community,” said senior Brady Minneman.
Bothell police said the decision was not budget-related. Students believe personal politics drove the outcome.
“We feel like they brought in a lot of personal bias and a lot of reasoning that was kind of questionable,” said Nils Peistrup, a senior.
Some board members have stated that certain students may not feel comfortable with an armed officer on campus. But Brianna Pan, president of the school’s National Honor Society, said the opposite is true for her.
“His positive presence makes it comfortable as a minority that I can speak out,” Pan said. “I think from my experience as a minority I do feel safer with an SRO officer on campus.”
On Monday, about 500 students — nearly one-third of the student body — walked out of school to protest the board’s decision.
“Everyone’s upset. Everyone’s pissed off because they didn’t listen to us,” Peistrup said.
Board President Sandy Hayes, who cast the lone vote to keep the program, issued a statement on behalf of the board saying the decision “was not made lightly” and that board members reviewed the SRO contract from multiple angles, including public testimony, emails, survey feedback, monthly reports from Ware, and “broader conversations about school safety and security.” The board also cited a desire to create a consistent safety model across all of the district’s comprehensive high schools.
“The board recognizes that this has been a very emotional issue for many in our community,” Hayes said. “We deeply appreciate the Bothell students, staff, families, and community members who took the time to share their perspectives throughout the evaluation process and our deliberations.”
Hayes added that the district remains committed to its partnership with the Bothell Police Department going forward.
Wendy Wands, a campus supervisor at Bothell High for 19 years, who worked alongside Ware, said the board members who voted to eliminate the program “have no idea what could be the outcome in the future.”
“Without an officer on campus, we could only hope that hiding, running, and fighting would be our only chance of survival,” Wands said.
In addition to a petition calling on the board to reverse its decision, community members are now circulating recall petitions targeting all four board members who voted to eliminate the position.
“If they’re not representing what the community wants, then why are they there?” Minneman said.
The recall process in Washington is a lengthy one. Petitioners must first file charges with a superior court, which reviews whether the allegations meet the legal standard of malfeasance, misfeasance, or violation of oath of office. If a judge approves the petition, organizers then have 180 days to gather signatures. To officially file a recall election, the petition requires sufficient signatures — equal to 35% of votes cast in the last election for those seats.
If successful, the matter could appear on the November ballot or in early 2027. However, because Ware’s contract expires at the end of the current school year, the district would need to go through a separate rehiring process even if new board members are eventually elected.
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