In a major renovation of the Los Angeles School Police Department, the Education Council approved on Tuesday a plan that cuts off a third of its principals, bans the use of pepper spray on students and diverts funds from the department to improve the education of black students.
The unanimous decision comes after a yearlong campaign by student activists and community members to reimagine the school police force, which they maintain as a disproportionate target of black and Latino children. The campaign and recent calls to completely empty the school’s Police Department intensified after the assassination of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police, which forced cities and school districts across the country to consider how police use of force disproportionately harmed students. black Americans.
“We would not be at this point, although it is a delay, without community leadership,” said council chairman Kelly Gonez. “I am happy that the development of the plan has also provided an opportunity for more engagement with our students, families and the wider community.”
The police review by the Los Angeles Unified School District provides funding for school “weather coaches” who will work to promote positive school culture and address the prejudice implicit in all secondary schools. Support staff and a performance plan for black students will also be added.
Council member George McKenna expressed great concern about this during the debate.
“Parents expect us to have safe schools. And if you think the police are the problem, I think you have a problem too, ”said McKenna.
Council member Jackie Goldberg noted that officers would not disappear from campuses, but they would still monitor schools and be able to respond to emergencies.
LA Unified follows a few other school districts that have reduced or eliminated school police departments. The Oakland Unified School District school board voted unanimously to eliminate the school’s Police Department in June. That month in Portland, Oregon, the superintendent of public schools announced the campuses would not have more school resource officers regularly on campus.
A coalition of about 19 student activists and advocacy groups – including Black Lives Matter, Community Coalition, InnerCity Struggle and California Assn. of Black School Educators – praised the action that will generate a US $ 11.5 million effort to promote the performance of black students.
“This plan represents a longstanding demand from the community for counselors, not police officers, and is a first step in replacing the school police with more effective strategies for student safety,” the organizations said in a statement. “This victory is a crucial step in mitigating the years of divestment and ending the criminalization and excessive policing of black students and black students at LAUSD.”
Los Angeles school police leaders were largely opposed to the effort, and the $ 25 million cut in funding led to the dismissal of 20 police officers.
The approved plan will cut 133 positions: 70 sworn directors, 62 non-sworn directors and 1 support employee. At the meeting, Chief Leslie Ramirez said the reduction would leave the force with 211 officers.
During 45 minutes of public comment at the meeting, many speakers expressed support for the plan. Many identified themselves as students affiliated with the Students Deserve group, which advocates reducing funding for school police. Some students have expressed frustration over how long it took them to divert funds to their black peers since the school board announced the funds cut in June.
The school board and the wider community are divided on the issue.
A district-commissioned survey showed that students, parents and staff generally had positive views about the school police, with more than half of each group saying they believed the school police made campuses safe.
But when divided by demographic data, 35% of black students agreed with this sentiment, compared to 56% of Asian American and Pacific Islanders, 54% of Latin students and 49% of white students.
A similar pattern occurred with parents, in which about 50% of black parents agreed that school police made campuses safe, compared with 72% of Asian American and Pacific Islander parents, 67% of Latino parents and 54 % of whites.
In addition, a quarter of black students said they did not feel safe in the presence of a school police officer, the largest of all racial groups when discriminated by gender. Twenty percent of black male students also said they did not feel safe in the presence of a police officer. Black parents were also less likely to believe that school police made campuses safe when compared to other racial and ethnic groups.
Attitudes about embezzlement by the school police were more mixed. About 2 in 5 students and parents support the diversion of funds from the school police to other resources for students. Almost a quarter of parents are opposed to changing funding.
Opposition to reduced funds has increased among parents and staff members on high school campuses. When asked about the gradual reduction of the school police force, 43% of parents and 47% of employees were opposed. When asked about reducing the police budget by 90% over three years, opposition from parents and staff increased to 49% and 56%, respectively.
Tuesday’s report noted that there was consensus among respondents that the department should not be completely dismantled. McKenna, the only black member of the school board, expressed opposition to the reduction of school police on campus.
Overall, there was a consensus among respondents to support increased funding for student resources in the form of additional staff, such as psychiatric social workers and counselors, as well as the expansion of mentoring programs.
The report, conducted by public opinion polling firm Evitarus, based in Los Angeles, interviewed 35,467 students in grades 10 through 12, 6,639 parents and 2,348 high school employees in October and November.
A total of $ 36.5 million – with $ 25 million of school police funds misappropriated and the remaining $ 11.5 million from the general budget for the next school year – will be used to invest in an achievement plan for black students.
Most of the funding, $ 30.1 million, will go to hiring school climate coaches and other support staff, such as school nurses and counselors. Coaches will be responsible for applying escalation strategies for conflict resolution, eliminating racial disparities in school disciplinary practices and addressing implicit prejudice. The task force also identified 53 schools where more than 200 black students are enrolled and are considered to be in high need to receive additional funding for the team, including a restorative justice counselor at each location.
Young activists pushing for change welcomed the decision.
“I am proud to see a door opening to a bright future for me and my colleagues,” said Emmanuel Karunwi, a student leader at Coalition Brothers, Sons, Selves. “I am happy to say that this victory is a step towards a reality where the death of blacks is not inevitable.”