X.-1 20-1335 Adoption by the Board of Education of Resolution No. 1920-0260 - George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department
As a former OUSD high school teacher at Oakland Tech and as someone who remains active in the Tech community I vehemently support this resolution to end policing in schools. I have seen first hand the negative impact that police in schools have on students, as I have dealt with students who face severe trauma and PTSD about interactions with law enforcement. Additionally, as a researcher and education policy advocate I have studied and written about the School-To-Prison Pipeline for several years now and its disparate impact on Black, brown, and LGBTQ youth. Having police in schools disproportionately negatively impacts students of color, LGBTQ youth, and students with disabilities. Police in schools are actively part of the problem when it comes to the school to prison pipeline
I urge OUSD to end its contract with OPD. Read my article on the need for ending policing in schools https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/now-right-time-dismantle-policing-americas-public-celotto-m-a-t-/
Police have no place in a school. Policing is an institution of white supremacy that terrorizes black and brown people. Policing does not prevent crime, it is a mechanism of punishment and control that operates after a crime has been committed. Every dollar diverted from the OUSD police towards student well-being and education will be a step towards making Oakland schools safer.
I write to urge the School Board to eliminate the OUSD Police. Police in schools disproportionately and violently target black students and students of color. Their presence feeds the school-to-prison pipeline and is dangerous for students. These officers are the same police who have killed and harassed black and POC Oakland residents throughout the city. I urge the Board to take the police out of Oakland schools to keep the city’s students safe.
I am a social worker providing mental health support to children and families in the Oakland School’s for the last four years and I strongly support the George Floyd Resolution.
I am an Oakland resident. I fully support this resolution. As the child of a teacher and a product of public education, I believe the presence of police destroys the learning environment for Black and brown students, especially children. It is egregious that in the midst of budget crises, the police are not the first on the chopping block even as study after study has shown them not only to actively harm Black communities, but also to be grossly ineffective at protecting Black and brown people. Please listen to your constituents and eliminate police from Oakland's schools and divert that funding toward school teachers, psychologists, counselors, after school programs, restorative justice programs, or school supplies.
100% support- As a former public school teacher (general and SpEd) and administrator for 10+ yrs, I can say with confidence that reallocating the money spent on police to provide experts at schools to address the issues facing students will yield a much more beneficial experience for ALL involved, not just students.
Police have no place in schools. It is unconscionable that children are arrested and criminalized in any case, and especially so considering the racial disparities in policing.
I’m a special educator in OUSD. I support eliminating police in public schools. They cause harm - especially for Black and Brown kids and their presence leads to more arrests and violence. Give students resources to grow, not to be criminalized. Fund our restorative justice programs, our therapists, our counselors, our food.
As a social worker in Oakland schools, I strongly support the immediate removal of police from our schools. I can barely scratch the surface of providing much needed mental health support to students and their families, and feel unable to reach MOST of those in need often needing to triage trauma in order to provide services to as many families as I can. Our kids don't need police, they need support, supplies, resources, mental health access, medical access, LIBRARIANS AND NURSES AND SOCIAL WORKERS. Use those funds to create more opportunities for healing, community, and support for our families! A lot of our students have experienced DIRECT trauma from police presence in their communities, homes, and schools, and yet you expect them to feel safe with police presence on their campus? I can tell you definitively that it does not support their capacity to learn. Remove OPD from OUSD right now.
As a resident of Oakland, I fully support this resolution in its entirety. Police have no place in our schools, and act as a constant threat to young students in Oakland. The school to prison pipeline is very real, and removing police from schools helps dismantle that pipeline.
I support! This will help disrupt the school to prison pipeline that disproportionally impacts students of color. This will also lead to better outcomes for OUSD students overall in their pursuit of education.
Deleted User
over 4 years ago
As a resident of downtown Oakland, I fully support the resolution to eliminate the police in OUSD and use those funds to hire more counselors, psychologists, and nurses.
As a former teacher, I understand that security is important in schools. However, policing our youth is in no way effective or just. I cannot imagine what kind of toll that would have on my students if they had to interact with police everyday, especially in an environment where they are supposed to be safe, and given the fact that such a large proportion are Black and have been brutualized by the police throughout their lives.
Finally, in my coursework for teaching, they taught us that whatever expectations you set for your students, they will likely meet them, good or bad, as long as it is reinforced. If you treat high schoolers like little kids, they will act like them. If you treat them like adults, they will act like them. If you treat them like criminals, they will act like them. Treat our students, especially our Black ones, with respect and dignity and demilitarize our schools. Thank you.
As an Oakland resident, I support the elimination of the Oakland Schools Police Department. The funds allocated should be redirected towards programs focused on the health and well-being of the student body.
I strongly support the proposal to remove police from Oakland schools. It is egregious to spend money on terrorizing children instead of adequately funding teachers, programming, and other school essentials. In order to truly promote safety in schools, the budget should be reallocated for more therapists, counselors, transformative justice programming, and other necessary supports. School should be a safe black for black and brown children, not another place where one misstep could result in trauma or arrest. Please put Oakland's children first and remove police from their schools. Thank you.
Please support this smart and safe proposal to remove police from Oakland schools. There are far better ways to keep our children safe and make sure they have the resources they need to succeed in school and lead fulfilling lives (such as mental health services, special education, additional academic support, and many more).
Thank you for listening to the community.
-Shannon David
As I wrote in a previous comment that disappeared....I support the elimination of school police in Oakland. Use that funding for more supportive programs, such as AAMA, Restorative Justice, social workers, mental health providers, and school nurses.
As a Parent of two young boys of color in Ousd schools I urge the board to terminate contracts with the Oakland police department. OPD is not the right resource to work with minors. The funds should be allocated to mental health, restorative justice and enrichment programs. Boys and girls of color should not have to deal with cops on their campuses unless there is an emergency and 911 can be called if that is the case. There is no value add for families here.
Thank you.
As a former OUSD high school teacher at Oakland Tech and as someone who remains active in the Tech community I vehemently support this resolution to end policing in schools. I have seen first hand the negative impact that police in schools have on students, as I have dealt with students who face severe trauma and PTSD about interactions with law enforcement. Additionally, as a researcher and education policy advocate I have studied and written about the School-To-Prison Pipeline for several years now and its disparate impact on Black, brown, and LGBTQ youth. Having police in schools disproportionately negatively impacts students of color, LGBTQ youth, and students with disabilities. Police in schools are actively part of the problem when it comes to the school to prison pipeline
I urge OUSD to end its contract with OPD. Read my article on the need for ending policing in schools https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/now-right-time-dismantle-policing-americas-public-celotto-m-a-t-/
Police have no place in a school. Policing is an institution of white supremacy that terrorizes black and brown people. Policing does not prevent crime, it is a mechanism of punishment and control that operates after a crime has been committed. Every dollar diverted from the OUSD police towards student well-being and education will be a step towards making Oakland schools safer.
I write to urge the School Board to eliminate the OUSD Police. Police in schools disproportionately and violently target black students and students of color. Their presence feeds the school-to-prison pipeline and is dangerous for students. These officers are the same police who have killed and harassed black and POC Oakland residents throughout the city. I urge the Board to take the police out of Oakland schools to keep the city’s students safe.
I am a social worker providing mental health support to children and families in the Oakland School’s for the last four years and I strongly support the George Floyd Resolution.
I am an Oakland resident. I fully support this resolution. As the child of a teacher and a product of public education, I believe the presence of police destroys the learning environment for Black and brown students, especially children. It is egregious that in the midst of budget crises, the police are not the first on the chopping block even as study after study has shown them not only to actively harm Black communities, but also to be grossly ineffective at protecting Black and brown people. Please listen to your constituents and eliminate police from Oakland's schools and divert that funding toward school teachers, psychologists, counselors, after school programs, restorative justice programs, or school supplies.
As an Oakland resident I fully support the measure to remove police from public schools.
100% support- As a former public school teacher (general and SpEd) and administrator for 10+ yrs, I can say with confidence that reallocating the money spent on police to provide experts at schools to address the issues facing students will yield a much more beneficial experience for ALL involved, not just students.
Police have no place in schools. It is unconscionable that children are arrested and criminalized in any case, and especially so considering the racial disparities in policing.
I’m a special educator in OUSD. I support eliminating police in public schools. They cause harm - especially for Black and Brown kids and their presence leads to more arrests and violence. Give students resources to grow, not to be criminalized. Fund our restorative justice programs, our therapists, our counselors, our food.
As a social worker in Oakland schools, I strongly support the immediate removal of police from our schools. I can barely scratch the surface of providing much needed mental health support to students and their families, and feel unable to reach MOST of those in need often needing to triage trauma in order to provide services to as many families as I can. Our kids don't need police, they need support, supplies, resources, mental health access, medical access, LIBRARIANS AND NURSES AND SOCIAL WORKERS. Use those funds to create more opportunities for healing, community, and support for our families! A lot of our students have experienced DIRECT trauma from police presence in their communities, homes, and schools, and yet you expect them to feel safe with police presence on their campus? I can tell you definitively that it does not support their capacity to learn. Remove OPD from OUSD right now.
As a resident of Oakland, I fully support this resolution in its entirety. Police have no place in our schools, and act as a constant threat to young students in Oakland. The school to prison pipeline is very real, and removing police from schools helps dismantle that pipeline.
I support! This will help disrupt the school to prison pipeline that disproportionally impacts students of color. This will also lead to better outcomes for OUSD students overall in their pursuit of education.
As a resident of downtown Oakland, I fully support the resolution to eliminate the police in OUSD and use those funds to hire more counselors, psychologists, and nurses.
As a former teacher, I understand that security is important in schools. However, policing our youth is in no way effective or just. I cannot imagine what kind of toll that would have on my students if they had to interact with police everyday, especially in an environment where they are supposed to be safe, and given the fact that such a large proportion are Black and have been brutualized by the police throughout their lives.
Finally, in my coursework for teaching, they taught us that whatever expectations you set for your students, they will likely meet them, good or bad, as long as it is reinforced. If you treat high schoolers like little kids, they will act like them. If you treat them like adults, they will act like them. If you treat them like criminals, they will act like them. Treat our students, especially our Black ones, with respect and dignity and demilitarize our schools. Thank you.
As an Oakland resident, I support the elimination of the Oakland Schools Police Department. The funds allocated should be redirected towards programs focused on the health and well-being of the student body.
I strongly support the proposal to remove police from Oakland schools. It is egregious to spend money on terrorizing children instead of adequately funding teachers, programming, and other school essentials. In order to truly promote safety in schools, the budget should be reallocated for more therapists, counselors, transformative justice programming, and other necessary supports. School should be a safe black for black and brown children, not another place where one misstep could result in trauma or arrest. Please put Oakland's children first and remove police from their schools. Thank you.
As a resident of Oakland and the mother of a 3 year old African-American boy, I support the resolution to eliminate the police in OUSD.
Please support this smart and safe proposal to remove police from Oakland schools. There are far better ways to keep our children safe and make sure they have the resources they need to succeed in school and lead fulfilling lives (such as mental health services, special education, additional academic support, and many more).
Thank you for listening to the community.
-Shannon David
As I wrote in a previous comment that disappeared....I support the elimination of school police in Oakland. Use that funding for more supportive programs, such as AAMA, Restorative Justice, social workers, mental health providers, and school nurses.
As a Parent of two young boys of color in Ousd schools I urge the board to terminate contracts with the Oakland police department. OPD is not the right resource to work with minors. The funds should be allocated to mental health, restorative justice and enrichment programs. Boys and girls of color should not have to deal with cops on their campuses unless there is an emergency and 911 can be called if that is the case. There is no value add for families here.
Thank you.