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
Police in schools terrorize our students and perpetuates the school to prison pipeline. Our children need healing and restorative justice, not punitive systems of oppression.
I urge the board to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department for the safety of the black youth we have the honor to educate. As an educator in Oakland, I can tell you our school site has witnessed police assault, harassment, and demonstrations of obscene emotional incompetency when questioning young people. Our schools are meant to demonstrate radical love and care for young people so that they recognize their power and leadership. When we invite a system of injustice and white supremacy into our hallways, our spaces are then instantly made unsafe. The complex racial trauma our students face every day are invited by the adults who say they care for them? This is plainly wrong. We have the power to end the school-to-prison pipeline for our students and reimagine a world without police. I urge each of you to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department.
There's no reason OPD should be in schools, that money would be better spent on literally anything else - teachers, supplies, social workers, nurses, better lunches, arts programs, the library....and would actually improve the lives of students in Oakland. Please support this!
I am strongly in support of the resolution, George Floyd Resolution to Elimiate Oakland Schools Police Department, that states there is no place for police in Oakland Unified School District. I know those on the Board are well aware of racial disparities in suspension and expulsions nationally, and locally, and the inclusion of police in Oakland schools while not in neighboring communities further militarizes schools that are predominantly attended by students of color. As a social worker, I know racism is endemic throughout many institutions including social work and education, and we need to continue to do work to support black students and students of color and this is one step towards creating safety without police who are symbols of harm. I ask you to vote yes on June 24th to move forward with this resolution and make history as the first place in the state to do so.
Dear Dr. Johnson-Trammel and School Board members,
As an OUSD teacher, a parent of two OUSD students and an Oakland resident that values the life and quality of education of our youth, I urge you to move forward with the George Floyd Resolution to eliminate the Oakland School Police Department. In affirmation of the work of Black Organizing Project, it is clear that millions of dollars OUSD has invested in policing and surveilling our students, can no longer be justified on any level. We are facing unprecedented budget cuts, in addition to the unknown impact of COVID-19 on our students and schools. We know that a largely disproportionate number of student arrests in OUSD are of Black students (73%), while only 26% of our student population is Black. This is failure of our schools to adequately support our students. Our young people need to be supported not criminalized.
Fund social supports, academic support and training and tools for teachers.
Thank you,
Maya Novak
Having police in our schools, continues to promote the funneling our Black and Brown students into the racial criminal justice system in this country, which eventually leads to more trauma and the removal of their rights to contribute to our democracy. Every dollar we spend on police to be in our schools are dollars we are taking away to provide the education and wrap around support services that are helpful to raise healthy and safe children. The less we spend on educating and emotionally supporting our children, the more traumatized they become and I will not sit idly by and allow this continue. I will vote and spend my money to support the removal of police from our schools.
I am an Oakland resident and have worked with youth in experiential education and leadership development programs for over 15 years. I strongly support the Black Organizing Project's proposal to redirect the $6million OUSD police budget to needed services. Our youth need more resources for education, more nurses, counselors, and restortative justice processes among other things, not outsized resource for police that are a source of trauma and overcriminalization of Black and brown youth.
I am a pediatric nurse practitioner practicing in Oakland. I support defunding police, ESPECIALLY in our schools. We need to increase funding for nurses, social workers, teachers, and therapists in schools--NOT police. Thank you!
As an OUSD teacher, I give my full support to the Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department. Our students deserve schools that prioritize their education, their health and their wellbeing. Most of our students do not feel protected or safe with police in the building. Instead of paying for police, this money needs to go to resources that will support their healing, such as mental health supports. It is time to end the school to prison pipeline, and this is a fundamental and necessary change. Thank you.
We must get police out of schools as soon as possible and redirect those funds to support services for youth and their families. I have worked as an educator for more than a decade and 100% believe there are far better, safer ways to address harm in school settings and society at large than the police. Now is the time. . Please pass the George Floyd resolution.
I support the George Floyd amendment to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department. For too long we have used policing and the criminal legal system to oppress and control black and brown youth. The time has come to end this harmful approach and instead use restorative and behavioral health practices. This would be a good first step towards trying to defund and scale back policing more generally in Oakland and the United States. I hope you will do the right thing and vote to eliminate the Oakland School police.
I am a former resident in support of reallocating resources. Eliminating police in schools for more counseling services and that which will benefit students.
As a mental health clinician working with kids in Oakland, I have seen how lack in proper resource and support by schools (always due to low funding) hinders the success of these children and sets them up for failure, and how constant authoritarian surveillance and aggression exacerbates it further. I have the damage done at all stages of their educational development (from 5 to 19 y.o.). The school to prison pipeline needs to stop now. Stop policing these children and put money into educational resources that will actually help them.
I am strongly in support of the BOP's George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department. It is completely unacceptable that OUSD spends $6M+ in OSPD funding, yet OUSD students are without basic needs and essential student programs. It's unacceptable that while Black students only make up 26% of those enrolled in OUSD, they make up 73% of student arrests. OSPD in OUSD perpetuates systemic racism and I urge you to support this resolution in its entirety! Our youth deserve better. Our youth deserve safe, well resourced schools.
Police in schools terrorize our students and perpetuates the school to prison pipeline. Our children need healing and restorative justice, not punitive systems of oppression.
I urge the board to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department for the safety of the black youth we have the honor to educate. As an educator in Oakland, I can tell you our school site has witnessed police assault, harassment, and demonstrations of obscene emotional incompetency when questioning young people. Our schools are meant to demonstrate radical love and care for young people so that they recognize their power and leadership. When we invite a system of injustice and white supremacy into our hallways, our spaces are then instantly made unsafe. The complex racial trauma our students face every day are invited by the adults who say they care for them? This is plainly wrong. We have the power to end the school-to-prison pipeline for our students and reimagine a world without police. I urge each of you to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department.
There's no reason OPD should be in schools, that money would be better spent on literally anything else - teachers, supplies, social workers, nurses, better lunches, arts programs, the library....and would actually improve the lives of students in Oakland. Please support this!
I am in strong support of the George Floyd resolution. We need more counselors and mental health care providers. Our students deserve better!
I am strongly in support of the resolution, George Floyd Resolution to Elimiate Oakland Schools Police Department, that states there is no place for police in Oakland Unified School District. I know those on the Board are well aware of racial disparities in suspension and expulsions nationally, and locally, and the inclusion of police in Oakland schools while not in neighboring communities further militarizes schools that are predominantly attended by students of color. As a social worker, I know racism is endemic throughout many institutions including social work and education, and we need to continue to do work to support black students and students of color and this is one step towards creating safety without police who are symbols of harm. I ask you to vote yes on June 24th to move forward with this resolution and make history as the first place in the state to do so.
Dear Dr. Johnson-Trammel and School Board members,
As an OUSD teacher, a parent of two OUSD students and an Oakland resident that values the life and quality of education of our youth, I urge you to move forward with the George Floyd Resolution to eliminate the Oakland School Police Department. In affirmation of the work of Black Organizing Project, it is clear that millions of dollars OUSD has invested in policing and surveilling our students, can no longer be justified on any level. We are facing unprecedented budget cuts, in addition to the unknown impact of COVID-19 on our students and schools. We know that a largely disproportionate number of student arrests in OUSD are of Black students (73%), while only 26% of our student population is Black. This is failure of our schools to adequately support our students. Our young people need to be supported not criminalized.
Fund social supports, academic support and training and tools for teachers.
Thank you,
Maya Novak
Having police in our schools, continues to promote the funneling our Black and Brown students into the racial criminal justice system in this country, which eventually leads to more trauma and the removal of their rights to contribute to our democracy. Every dollar we spend on police to be in our schools are dollars we are taking away to provide the education and wrap around support services that are helpful to raise healthy and safe children. The less we spend on educating and emotionally supporting our children, the more traumatized they become and I will not sit idly by and allow this continue. I will vote and spend my money to support the removal of police from our schools.
I am an Oakland resident and have worked with youth in experiential education and leadership development programs for over 15 years. I strongly support the Black Organizing Project's proposal to redirect the $6million OUSD police budget to needed services. Our youth need more resources for education, more nurses, counselors, and restortative justice processes among other things, not outsized resource for police that are a source of trauma and overcriminalization of Black and brown youth.
I am a pediatric nurse practitioner practicing in Oakland. I support defunding police, ESPECIALLY in our schools. We need to increase funding for nurses, social workers, teachers, and therapists in schools--NOT police. Thank you!
As an OUSD teacher, I give my full support to the Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department. Our students deserve schools that prioritize their education, their health and their wellbeing. Most of our students do not feel protected or safe with police in the building. Instead of paying for police, this money needs to go to resources that will support their healing, such as mental health supports. It is time to end the school to prison pipeline, and this is a fundamental and necessary change. Thank you.
I support eliminating OPD from Oakland public schools.
Get OPD out of the schools; completely unnecessary
We must get police out of schools as soon as possible and redirect those funds to support services for youth and their families. I have worked as an educator for more than a decade and 100% believe there are far better, safer ways to address harm in school settings and society at large than the police. Now is the time. . Please pass the George Floyd resolution.
Get opd out of OUSD.
I support the George Floyd amendment to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department. For too long we have used policing and the criminal legal system to oppress and control black and brown youth. The time has come to end this harmful approach and instead use restorative and behavioral health practices. This would be a good first step towards trying to defund and scale back policing more generally in Oakland and the United States. I hope you will do the right thing and vote to eliminate the Oakland School police.
I am a former resident in support of reallocating resources. Eliminating police in schools for more counseling services and that which will benefit students.
Police should not be present at schools. Stop the school to prison pipeline! Invest in teachers, after school programs and better lunch!
We are OUSD parents and strongly support this resolution. Students need connections to resources, not policing.
As a mental health clinician working with kids in Oakland, I have seen how lack in proper resource and support by schools (always due to low funding) hinders the success of these children and sets them up for failure, and how constant authoritarian surveillance and aggression exacerbates it further. I have the damage done at all stages of their educational development (from 5 to 19 y.o.). The school to prison pipeline needs to stop now. Stop policing these children and put money into educational resources that will actually help them.
I am strongly in support of the BOP's George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department. It is completely unacceptable that OUSD spends $6M+ in OSPD funding, yet OUSD students are without basic needs and essential student programs. It's unacceptable that while Black students only make up 26% of those enrolled in OUSD, they make up 73% of student arrests. OSPD in OUSD perpetuates systemic racism and I urge you to support this resolution in its entirety! Our youth deserve better. Our youth deserve safe, well resourced schools.