[ [link removed] ]Together we can stop the criminalization of kids in schools and break
the school to prison pipeline
[ [link removed] ]Paid Family Leave
[ [link removed] ]Join us to demand an END to the Regular Presence of Law Enforcement
in Schools!
[ [link removed] ]take action
[ [link removed] ]Take Action
Dear Friend,
We are living in extraordinary times. Nationwide mobilizations in the
aftermath of too many police killings have renewed an important
conversation about police accountability and the role police play in our
lives. Even further this conversation has called into question the role
police play in the lives of our children, specifically in school
buildings. We too often assume that the presence of police in schools is
synonymous with safety. It is NOT. The reality is most parents and
caregivers know very little about the role police play in their kids
schools.
We do know that the physical, social, and emotional health of children in
schools is critical to success and safety. Yet, 1.7 million students are
in schools with police but no counselors, 10 million students are in
schools with police but no social workers, and 14 million students are in
schools with police but no counselor, nurse, psychologist, or social
worker. Many states report having two to three times as many police
officers in schools as social workers, and five states reported having
more police officers in schools than nurses. This is unacceptable.[1]
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION: Our schools need more counselors, nurses, social workers,
and educators who have the training they need to effectively support
students, NOT more cops.
Of course we ALL want schools to be safe, but did you know that there is
NO evidence that increasing the number of police in schools actually
improves school safety? Instead, what we find is that in the vast majority
of cases police officers do exactly what they are trained to do, which is
detain, handcuff, and arrest. [2]
School counselors, nurses, social workers, and psychologists are trained
to support children, and in schools where these professionals are able to
provide services we see improved attendance rates, better academic
achievement, and higher graduation rates. These same schools also see
lower rates of suspension, expulsion, and other disciplinary incidents.
The data on this is clear. The presence of school-based mental health
providers doesn't just improve outcomes for students, it can also improve
overall school safety.[3]
[ [link removed] ]*Sign on to our national call to Governors and Mayors to stand up for
students and invest in counselors, nurses, social workers, NOT cops!
It is important that we understand how we got here. Police first appeared
in schools in the 1950s, but it was not until the 1990’s – following the
tragic shooting at Columbine High school and the War on Drugs – that we
saw a shift to increased surveillance, metal detectors and other security
measures in public schools, including a rampant growth of the number of
police, often called “school resource officers” in schools.[4]
At the same time we see school budgets continuously cut, leaving too many
schools without the resources needed for our most vulnerable students.
[ [link removed] ]Putting kids first means investing in counselors, nurses, and social
workers, NOT cops!
Funneling money into more school police and other practices that
criminalize students is not the answer to creating safe school
environments. Researchers across the country, including the Consortium on
Chicago School Research, have found that relationships between students,
parents, and staff are more important in making a school safe than
increased security measures and still we see too many examples of police
in schools escalating incidents that might have been resolved by a trip to
the principal’s office. For immigrant and undocumented students, bringing
police into the school building can lead to deportation for themselves or
their families. [5]
From 2013 to 2018, over 300,000 children under the age of 12 were arrested
in the US. [6] The stories are heartbreaking. A six year old in Orlando
having a temper tantrum, placed in the handcuffs and driven to a juvenile
detention facility. A high school student body slammed down to the ground
after asking if he could call his grandmother to pick him up. Even more
concerning is the same racial bias we see in policing in communities of
color is the same bias we see from police in schools -- Black students
represented 15% of the total student enrollment, and 31% of students who
were referred to law enforcement or arrested, and these racial disparities
are on the rise.[7]
[ [link removed] ]The time to change this is NOW.
National and local research consistently demonstrates that the presence of
police in schools serves as an entry point to the school-to-prison
pipeline and disproportionately harms Black, Indigenous and LatinX
students; students with disabilities; and students in need who are
furthest from opportunity. We can take an important step to dismantling
the school to prison pipeline by investing in a students' success and in
student support instead of a culture of criminalization in our schools.
[ [link removed] ]Together we can END the criminalization of kids in schools and break
the school to prison pipeline. Sign on to call for an end to the regular
presence of law enforcement in our schools and an investment in student
support.
Thank you for taking action,
– Beatriz, Monifa, Diarra and the rest of the MomsRising Team
CITATIONS:
[1] [ [link removed] ]COPS AND NO COUNSELORS: How the Lack of School Mental Health Staff
Is Harming Students
[2][3] [ [link removed] ]False Sense of Security
[4][7] [ [link removed] ]Why Counselors Not Cops -Dignity In Schools
[5][ [link removed] ]Study links school safety to achievement, relationships
[6] [ [link removed] ]More than 30,000 children under age 10 have been arrested in the
US since 2013: FBI
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