Milwaukee Public Schools have been ordered to implement school resource officers (SROs) into school buildings.A Milwaukee County Judge issued the ruling on Thursday, Jan. 23, according to a press release from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL). The court ordered 25 SROs to be in place by Feb. 17.The decision follows a lawsuit filed last year by a mother of an MPS student, who claimed the district violated a state law requiring SROs in Milwaukee schools beginning Jan. 1, 2024. The law, part of Act 12, mandated the placement of 25 SROs in exchange for allowing Milwaukee to enact a sales tax. However, the law didnt outline any sort of punishment for MPS missing the deadline.PREVIOUS COVERAGE:- Parent sues MPS over lack of school resource officers-Dozens share their thoughts on MPS's delay in implementing the SRO program-MPS still working on plan for school resource officers 9 months after state deadlineWatch: Judge orders MPS to implement school resource officers by February deadline Judge orders Milwaukee Public Schools to implement 25 school resource officers by Feb. 17According to the press release, if MPS fails to comply by the morning of Feb. 17, the district must appear in court that afternoon at 3 p.m. to explain its non-compliance.As part of the ruling, the court directed WILL to amend its initial complaint to add the City of Milwaukee to the case. A written order is expected by Monday.This is a massive triumph for parents and kids who want to go to school in a safe environment, WILL Associate Counsel Lauren Greuel said in the press release. Without this ruling, MPS would have simply continued to ignore the law, and parents like our client would have been left with no options.Charlene Abughrin, an MPS parent and WILL client, added, I am grateful to WILL for bringing this lawsuit. I will sleep better knowing that my child, and others, will be protected once MPS begins to comply with the law.TMJ4 spoke with Abughrin in 2024 after the lawsuit was filed. You can watch that story in the video player below: 'It's time to hold people accountable'; Parent sues MPS over lack of school resource officersA spokesperson for Milwaukee Public Schools released the following statement Thursday afternoon:TMJ4 also reached out to the City of Milwaukee for comment but has not yet received a response.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip