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
Hello, as a former and soon-to-be future resident of the Longfellow neighborhood, I am writing to express my support for Resolution No. 1920-0260. Our students need school counselors, nurses and restorative justice, not police, in their schools. Police presence in our school only serves to fuel the school to prison pipeline. Instead, we should be providing our students with supportive resources that help to create an environment in which they can succeed. Thank you for your consideration.
I am an OUSD parent and I support the George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department. I urge the Board to redistribute funds that would be used for the school police towards student support structures - Restorative Justice, Counselors, Nurses, Librarians, etc. Thank you.
As an Oakland resident who cares about the kids in my neighborhood, I'm voicing my strong support of the Black Organizing Project's George Floyd resolution to remove police from Oakland schools. Inequities and bias in policing are rampant and well documented. The school to prison pipeline is real and you have the opportunity to begin to dismantle it.
I am an Oakland resident and a public health researcher. Police in schools have only harmed students and families, especially black and brown communities. I support eliminating OSPD and redirecting those funds to resources and personnel that help students thrive.
Hi. As an Oakland resident who plans on having kids enter OUSD in the future, the knowledge that the school district has employed their own police department is extremely disheartening and quite frankly, terrifying. I attended a school in Los Angeles that had a heavy police presence and it was traumatizing to see weaponized individuals walking through our schools daily. School is supposed to be a place of safety and learning but a violent presence forms mental blocks in learning - especially in children. Furthermore, I witnessed police officers constantly stopping people of color while leaving white students alone. This is not okay. Funding should be divested from police and instead more mental health and community sources. Our children need more than one psychologist at their schools. They need counselors, social workers, etc. I implore you to listen to and read the comments in support of breaking ties with all police. Thank you.
I strongly support removing and abolishing the Oakland Schools Police Department. This is the beginning of the school to prison pipeline, and our kids deserve to be supported, not criminalized. More teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, and support programs, not cops in schools.
I am in support of the George Floyd Resolution to remove the Oakland Police Department from the OUSD. I am in support of those funds going towards other programs instead that help meet children's needs and support their growth (e.g. social welfare, mental health, nutrition, arts, and after-school programs). The police have no place in OUSD schools.
I support the George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department! I am a Tech graduate and now work at the school as well as a health educator. POC students deserve to be safe on their school campuses and not be further traumatized by police presence and violent escalation.
I stand with Black Organizing Project in support of the George Floyd Resolution. As a former Oakland teacher and current OUSD parent, I have seen first-hand the trauma caused by police presence in school for BIPOC. Research shows that positive relationships between students and school staff, not police presence, keep schools safe. It doesn't matter how "well trained" the police are; their very presence is in direct opposition to a space of learning and trust. As a community, we need to end the school to prison pipeline for Black youth and youth of color in which OUSD has been complicit. BOP has already detailed why the school police force should be eliminated, what to do with those previously allocated funds, as well as how to keep our schools safe without police once the department is dissolved. I urge all board members to support the resolution to dissolve the OUSD police department and implement BOP's recommendations.
When I was teaching in East Oakland schools the last five years, the police presence always terrified students, led to increased anxiety among students, and exacerbated students' mistrust of adults. Some of the officers were very kind people and established relationships with the students, but the uniform and reminder of a potentially violent presence was and remains to be problematic.
We need more adults in a SUPPORT ROLE for our students. I strongly encourage you to replace the police with licensed social workers, counselors, and health care providers for our students. They deserve to be nurtured and not policed. At Roots and at Frick, students responded to an increase in mental and physical health professionals by taking on more responsibility to empower each other and hold each other accountable. You don't need police in schools when you have programs and role models that help students learn to become leaders and teach each other how to support each other and overcome trauma.
I am in strong favor of the George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate Oakland Schools Police Department. As a mental health therapist who has worked with OUSD student, I care deeply for Oakland students and families and am committed to their well being. I believe that by eliminating the OUSD police department and reallocating those funds towards school based social workers and psychologists, you will work towards upholding your mission to eliminate inequity. The police continue to be a traumatizing force within the community and our students do not need to be re-traumatized. Our students need healing and safety, which cannot be provided by the police. I ask you to vote yes on June 24.
My name is Vivian and I am an alum of Oakland Tech. I STRONGLY support the resolution to eliminate the OUSD police. I was disappointed that the school board silenced the voices of a lot of students and community members at the beginning of the meeting. It was clear that this one issue was more important to the community than the other issues at hand and I think the board should have taken that into account to address right away. I am happy to hear that the school board president and superintendent are in support of a plan to get rid of the police department. I was surprised to hear that a plan was already being developed for this and I don't know why the board would wait until the public was in uproar. I hope that the school board goes forward with a rapid and comprehensive plan to eliminate the school police, and that they listen to black students, families, and organizations in formulating their plan.
I support getting police out of schools. Kids need more teachers, after school programs, counselors, etc to help them grow and learn. Police do not belong near schools because we don't want our kids treated like criminals.
I am an OUSD Teacher at MetWest high school and I urge you to support and move forward the George Floyd Resolution to eliminate all school police from OUSD schools. This resolution is the epitome of grassroots and community-driven policy. Do not stand in the way of the community's power and this historic movement.
As a teacher, I am asked to be data driven. The data is clear: Police inhibit learning and promote a climate of fear and persecution. They enforce the implicit biases that are held by white educators and they are representative of a deep and lasting pain. My students deserve the same police-free school climate that is afforded to affluent and majority white school districts.
Thank you to Black Organizing Project for your years of work to build to this moment. Board members, stand on the right side of history and move forward on the George Floyd Resolution.
Police officers have no business being in schools. Why do we want our children to feel like they are policed even when they are trying to learn. There is no evidence that police officers make schools safer. On the other hand, there is lots of evidence that the presence of officers makes schools more threatening to black and brown children's futures.
Black boys make up 70%+ of juvenile arrests, but make up only 29% of the total Oakland youth population.
Black boys are 23 times more likely than white boys to be arrested and referred to probation.
80% of those arrests are not sustained, meaning the arrest did nothing to improve public safety.
But an arrest does have huge impacts on the life of the student and their family.
An arrest without incarceration increases the rate of future incarceration by 22%.
A few more statistics to consider:
Police officer to student ratio: 1:260
Counselor to student ratio: 1:681
Psychologist to student ratio: 1:1083
Social worker to student ratio: 1:5047
I support the George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department! BIPOC students deserve access to public education that is free of police presence. Police cause and amplify violence-based trauma and directly feed students into the school-prison pipeline. Kids deserve better and we can do better by them. Let's give our students more arts, sciences, play, and care!
We as educators can not effectively and fully support our students with police presence on campus. Ask any black (or brown) student and they will say that police do not make them feel safe. The police only make a certain demographic feel safe. And let me just say, it’s not a complex issue. Fund things that actually matter to our students and what they want/need. No student wants/needs to be harassed by officers. No student wants/needs to be uncomfortable or feel unsafe. Police do not serve and protect. WE serve and protect each other.
I am an Oakland resident and was an after-school program instructor at Edna Brewer Middle School and Metwest High School for 5 years. I support the Black Organizing Project's proposal to eliminate police from OUSD and redirect those funds, over 6 million dollars, towards much needed student health resources, including counselors, nurses, restorative & transformative justice facilitators. Oakland youth deserve support and care from their schools, not criminalization and harm from the police. Tonight I remember Raheim Brown, who was murdered by OUSD police- his death is a tragedy. No youth should have to live in terror of their life being taken by police at their schools, no parent or guardian should have to fear for their child's death at the hands of police at their school. I strongly urge you to do the right thing and eliminate police from OUSD forever. Oakland schools need to foster safety through community solutions led by and for youth, not by the police.
Hello, as a former and soon-to-be future resident of the Longfellow neighborhood, I am writing to express my support for Resolution No. 1920-0260. Our students need school counselors, nurses and restorative justice, not police, in their schools. Police presence in our school only serves to fuel the school to prison pipeline. Instead, we should be providing our students with supportive resources that help to create an environment in which they can succeed. Thank you for your consideration.
I am an OUSD parent and I support the George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department. I urge the Board to redistribute funds that would be used for the school police towards student support structures - Restorative Justice, Counselors, Nurses, Librarians, etc. Thank you.
As an Oakland resident who cares about the kids in my neighborhood, I'm voicing my strong support of the Black Organizing Project's George Floyd resolution to remove police from Oakland schools. Inequities and bias in policing are rampant and well documented. The school to prison pipeline is real and you have the opportunity to begin to dismantle it.
I am an Oakland resident and a public health researcher. Police in schools have only harmed students and families, especially black and brown communities. I support eliminating OSPD and redirecting those funds to resources and personnel that help students thrive.
Hi. As an Oakland resident who plans on having kids enter OUSD in the future, the knowledge that the school district has employed their own police department is extremely disheartening and quite frankly, terrifying. I attended a school in Los Angeles that had a heavy police presence and it was traumatizing to see weaponized individuals walking through our schools daily. School is supposed to be a place of safety and learning but a violent presence forms mental blocks in learning - especially in children. Furthermore, I witnessed police officers constantly stopping people of color while leaving white students alone. This is not okay. Funding should be divested from police and instead more mental health and community sources. Our children need more than one psychologist at their schools. They need counselors, social workers, etc. I implore you to listen to and read the comments in support of breaking ties with all police. Thank you.
I strongly support removing and abolishing the Oakland Schools Police Department. This is the beginning of the school to prison pipeline, and our kids deserve to be supported, not criminalized. More teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, and support programs, not cops in schools.
Yes, remove police officers from schools. Invest more in counselors and social workers.
I strongly support the George Floyd Resolution. Please make schools safer for students and teacher by voting to get police out of schools.
I am in support of the George Floyd Resolution to remove the Oakland Police Department from the OUSD. I am in support of those funds going towards other programs instead that help meet children's needs and support their growth (e.g. social welfare, mental health, nutrition, arts, and after-school programs). The police have no place in OUSD schools.
I support the George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department! I am a Tech graduate and now work at the school as well as a health educator. POC students deserve to be safe on their school campuses and not be further traumatized by police presence and violent escalation.
I stand with Black Organizing Project in support of the George Floyd Resolution. As a former Oakland teacher and current OUSD parent, I have seen first-hand the trauma caused by police presence in school for BIPOC. Research shows that positive relationships between students and school staff, not police presence, keep schools safe. It doesn't matter how "well trained" the police are; their very presence is in direct opposition to a space of learning and trust. As a community, we need to end the school to prison pipeline for Black youth and youth of color in which OUSD has been complicit. BOP has already detailed why the school police force should be eliminated, what to do with those previously allocated funds, as well as how to keep our schools safe without police once the department is dissolved. I urge all board members to support the resolution to dissolve the OUSD police department and implement BOP's recommendations.
When I was teaching in East Oakland schools the last five years, the police presence always terrified students, led to increased anxiety among students, and exacerbated students' mistrust of adults. Some of the officers were very kind people and established relationships with the students, but the uniform and reminder of a potentially violent presence was and remains to be problematic.
We need more adults in a SUPPORT ROLE for our students. I strongly encourage you to replace the police with licensed social workers, counselors, and health care providers for our students. They deserve to be nurtured and not policed. At Roots and at Frick, students responded to an increase in mental and physical health professionals by taking on more responsibility to empower each other and hold each other accountable. You don't need police in schools when you have programs and role models that help students learn to become leaders and teach each other how to support each other and overcome trauma.
I am in strong favor of the George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate Oakland Schools Police Department. As a mental health therapist who has worked with OUSD student, I care deeply for Oakland students and families and am committed to their well being. I believe that by eliminating the OUSD police department and reallocating those funds towards school based social workers and psychologists, you will work towards upholding your mission to eliminate inequity. The police continue to be a traumatizing force within the community and our students do not need to be re-traumatized. Our students need healing and safety, which cannot be provided by the police. I ask you to vote yes on June 24.
My name is Vivian and I am an alum of Oakland Tech. I STRONGLY support the resolution to eliminate the OUSD police. I was disappointed that the school board silenced the voices of a lot of students and community members at the beginning of the meeting. It was clear that this one issue was more important to the community than the other issues at hand and I think the board should have taken that into account to address right away. I am happy to hear that the school board president and superintendent are in support of a plan to get rid of the police department. I was surprised to hear that a plan was already being developed for this and I don't know why the board would wait until the public was in uproar. I hope that the school board goes forward with a rapid and comprehensive plan to eliminate the school police, and that they listen to black students, families, and organizations in formulating their plan.
I support getting police out of schools. Kids need more teachers, after school programs, counselors, etc to help them grow and learn. Police do not belong near schools because we don't want our kids treated like criminals.
I am an OUSD Teacher at MetWest high school and I urge you to support and move forward the George Floyd Resolution to eliminate all school police from OUSD schools. This resolution is the epitome of grassroots and community-driven policy. Do not stand in the way of the community's power and this historic movement.
As a teacher, I am asked to be data driven. The data is clear: Police inhibit learning and promote a climate of fear and persecution. They enforce the implicit biases that are held by white educators and they are representative of a deep and lasting pain. My students deserve the same police-free school climate that is afforded to affluent and majority white school districts.
Thank you to Black Organizing Project for your years of work to build to this moment. Board members, stand on the right side of history and move forward on the George Floyd Resolution.
Police officers have no business being in schools. Why do we want our children to feel like they are policed even when they are trying to learn. There is no evidence that police officers make schools safer. On the other hand, there is lots of evidence that the presence of officers makes schools more threatening to black and brown children's futures.
Black boys make up 70%+ of juvenile arrests, but make up only 29% of the total Oakland youth population.
Black boys are 23 times more likely than white boys to be arrested and referred to probation.
80% of those arrests are not sustained, meaning the arrest did nothing to improve public safety.
But an arrest does have huge impacts on the life of the student and their family.
An arrest without incarceration increases the rate of future incarceration by 22%.
A few more statistics to consider:
Police officer to student ratio: 1:260
Counselor to student ratio: 1:681
Psychologist to student ratio: 1:1083
Social worker to student ratio: 1:5047
I support the George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department! BIPOC students deserve access to public education that is free of police presence. Police cause and amplify violence-based trauma and directly feed students into the school-prison pipeline. Kids deserve better and we can do better by them. Let's give our students more arts, sciences, play, and care!
We as educators can not effectively and fully support our students with police presence on campus. Ask any black (or brown) student and they will say that police do not make them feel safe. The police only make a certain demographic feel safe. And let me just say, it’s not a complex issue. Fund things that actually matter to our students and what they want/need. No student wants/needs to be harassed by officers. No student wants/needs to be uncomfortable or feel unsafe. Police do not serve and protect. WE serve and protect each other.
I am an Oakland resident and was an after-school program instructor at Edna Brewer Middle School and Metwest High School for 5 years. I support the Black Organizing Project's proposal to eliminate police from OUSD and redirect those funds, over 6 million dollars, towards much needed student health resources, including counselors, nurses, restorative & transformative justice facilitators. Oakland youth deserve support and care from their schools, not criminalization and harm from the police. Tonight I remember Raheim Brown, who was murdered by OUSD police- his death is a tragedy. No youth should have to live in terror of their life being taken by police at their schools, no parent or guardian should have to fear for their child's death at the hands of police at their school. I strongly urge you to do the right thing and eliminate police from OUSD forever. Oakland schools need to foster safety through community solutions led by and for youth, not by the police.