Drug Policy Alliance

Friend,

Are schools for learning? Or for punishment?

Unfortunately, the drug war’s infiltration into the education system has turned our schools into places for criminalization and punishment, especially for youth in low-income communities of color. Students are routinely surveilled for drugs through invasive drug testing, bag and locker searches, and law enforcement.

Drug possession is among the most common reasons students are arrested and referred to police and 10 million students are in schools that have law enforcement officers but no social workers.

Help us fight to fix it by telling your Senators to support the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act.

This crucial legislation would prohibit the use of federal funds for sworn law enforcement officers in schools. It would also provide grants to replace law enforcement with personnel that support mental health and trauma-informed services and reform school safety and disciplinary policies to reflect evidence-based practices that do not rely on the criminal justice system.

Beginning in the 1980s and 1990s, locker searches led by security officers and canines, increased suspensions and expulsions, and other means of keeping tabs on kids became the norm. And despite no evidence that police presence in schools improves safety or reduces drug use, the number of officers grows every year.

Scaring kids with severe punishments and expanding police presence breaks trust between students and the adults they should be able to turn to at school if they need help or resources. It drives the small percentage of students who actually do use substances problematically further into the shadows and actually prevents early intervention and meaningful help.

Take action to help change course and replace law enforcement with supportive services in schools.

Schools should be safe and caring environments, but the drug war has made them vehicles for policing and punishment and warped our ability to provide the real support our children need.

To learn more, register to join us this Wednesday for our Uprooting the Drug War Discussion Series: Education, the Drug War, and the Criminalization of Students.

Sincerely,

Maritza Perez
Director, National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance