SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — School districts across the country are looking into removing police from campuses.
On Wednesday, California’s superintendent introduced a plan to address the subject.
Social uprisings nationwide have led a number of city school districts to look into eliminating police presence in schools. California Superintendent Tony Thurmond explained Wednesday why the state is taking action.
“We know that this is an area that requires additional discussion and action, and we are working to bring leaders together to address some of the concerns that have been raised in schools,” Thurmond said.
Those concerns include the potential for unnecessarily harsh disciplinary action, particularly among students of color.
“I’ve already seen data that show, in many cases, that when there are police on campus, this results in more suspensions or arrests of our students, and in particular African-American students, and other students of color.”
Thurmond said the data is still limited, so the state will implement a three-prong approach, the establishment of a task force, subsequent analysis of data and research and establishing alternatives to keep school campuses safe.
“We should have more restorative justice programs, programs that focus on deescalation,” Thurmond said. “Programs that focus on intervention, that it can be done by those who have the ability to use peace-making skills to reduce violence, even social, emotional learning programs.”
The Department of Education plans to work with legislators, advocacy groups, and law enforcement representatives to determine next steps.
Thurmond called on the public to share any data or resources they’re aware of on the subject by emailing “Re-Imagine Safe Schools” here.
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