I.-1 20-1335 Adoption by the Board of Education of Resolution No. 1920-0260 - George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department.
My name is liz suk, Political Director of Oakland Rising and resident of D7 with children who attend public school in D6. I am writing in support of the Black Organizing Project and the George Floyd Resolution. Thank you to the school board members who have changed their minds and hearts to show their support but the full task of actually cutting the department will take community input and BOP's integration into the planning. I hope that we are not being provided just lip service but are actually putting solid action behind your words.
I urge you to pass the George Floyd Resolution. The maintenance of a school police department means Black children face police terror every day at school. This is unacceptable. Thousands of Oaklanders have stood up and said "defend Black lives." Are you willing to do that? The first step would be to eliminate OSPD and divert its funding to measures that actually allow student to thrive — for their health, safety, and education. Police don't keep us safe.
Kids need to feel safe at school. The police do not add any safety to their lives, instead they harass kids and lead to a school looking more like a prison than a place of knowledge. This money could be used for advocacy or enrichment instead of fighting against parents’ fears.
OAS has thrived since it escaped the administration by the police. OPD out of schools will allow kids to be kids, instead of potential criminals to be surveiled.
My name is Laura Wesely, I’m a District 4 resident and have worked in public schools around the bay as a teacher and mental health counselor for the past 9 years.
I have witnessed countless interactions between students and police, and without exception, they are always negative. Instead of trying to connect or educate (like a counselor might), I witness officers--whether sworn in or not--belittling, patronizing, and threatening kids.
Research tells us that the prefrontal cortex, needs to be online in order to absorb information. The moment we feel intense stress, our prefrontal cortex goes off-line. When the sheer presence of a uniformed officer is a trauma trigger for so many of the Black and Latinx students, we are stripping them of their ability to learn and access information.
I urge you to decide in favor of the George Floyd Resolution, invest in the structures that actually support our students, like counselors, Restorative Justice Coordinators, mental health clinicians.
Having volunteered with youth of color in educational settings, they would benefit more from support systems like social workers and mental health professionals than from policing. This resolution is the a step in the right direction and I strongly support it.
I urge Oakland Unified School District to adopt the George Floyd Resolution as is and eliminate police (and security guards) from our schools. I know money is tight during Covid, and while it's probably not possible, I'd love to see the money saved on this resolution spent on tablets with 4G connections to help our students without access to devices or a stable internet connection learn remotely during the pandemic. Thanks to the board for working with the Black Organizing Project and working to make our schools safe and equitable for everyone.
Hi my name is Minister Cherri Murphy
I am a member and a licensed Spiritual Practitioner at Heart and Soul Center of Light in District 3
I also live in District 5, Fruitvale neighbor hood.
Today I am speaking on behalf of Black Organizing Project’s resolution urging you to drastically rethink school safety by having police free schools. Instead reallocating those funds to positions like counselors and other student support services.
The presence of militarized policing in schools can lead to nothing but bad outcomes for our Black and Brown babies.
Research has shown negative outcomes for Black and Brown students, who are arrested and disciplined at higher rates than their peers. They are traumatized by the reality of police maintaining the status quo through exploitation and murder of their families and friends. Eradicate school police in OUSD, the only district in Alameda County with its own police force.
I stand in full support with BOP and support the George Floyd Resolution to eliminate the Oakland School's Police Department. Cops have absolutely no place in schools. There is literally no reason for their presence in a learning environment. Their very presence is violent, harmful, and not conducive to learning. Stop endangering Black and brown students who are consistently harmed and killed by keeping police in schools. Stop contributing to the school to prison pipeline. Listen to the overwhelming community response and ELIMINATE THE OSPD.
As a Jew for black lives I stand solidly in support of this resolution and the end of police in OUSD schools. Youth should be treated with respect and kept safe. We can do that by investing in social work, mental health services, and their education. Not only do we not need police, police make students less safe. Make students feel less secure.
Pass this today. Support our youth. Support our communities.
Deleted User
over 4 years ago
I would like to support Black Organizing Project's George Floyd Resolution and encourage the Board to pass the resolution and show their support for the students of Oakland in their desire for police free schools and an educational environment that invests in their mental health and growth into adult members of the community.
Please remove police from our schools. I am adopting a Black child soon, and I do not want them growing up with a persistent police presence, both because I am worried about racist police violence, and because I do not want to normalize a carceral framework as part of their education.
As a person of faith and educator in Oakland, I believe the vote to remove OPD from OUSD isn't a political decision, but a moral one. This potentially historic vote is critical because it sends a message that OUSD is ready to listen and to believe black and brown voices. That means that to NOT vote to remove OPD is equally significant because it re-affirms the belief that black and brown lives do not actually matter. I believe that no one on our current board wants that, which is why I have faith that tonight will indeed be a historic decision - the first of its kind to truly reflect the community that makes up Oakland.
I understand this is incredibly difficult as far as planning and implementation but the good news is that while there will be many challenges, the actual moral decision is quite easy. A vote to eliminate OPD in OUSD is a vote for our highest calling as human beings. Thank you for taking the next step towards healing in our community by telling our kids "You matter."
I am a District 2 resident & mother of two. I am in full support of the Black Organizing Project’s George Floyd resolution & demand the unanimous & full adoption of it from the Board. No hybrid models! Oakland children, especially Black children, deserve to attend school in peace without the fear of incarceration, brutality, or deportation invading their consciousness as they walk through their school hallways. We can do better as a City and value the life of every child. Please support the resolution - no back room deals on half measures!
I am a concerned community member in Oakland. I am writing to ask you to pass the George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland School Police Department and remove police from OUSD schools in accordance with The Black Organizing Project’s People’s Plan for Police-Free Schools. Policing in OUSD schools dehumanizes Black and brown students in our schools just as it does in the streets. It pushes young people away from education and opportunity, and toward increasing contact with the criminal system. Our schools should be a place of learning for youth where we prevent conflict through school counselors, not law enforcement. This is your opportunity to take action to end discriminatory school policing and turn the District away from a long history of disproportionate harmful treatment of Black and disabled students. Vote yes to pass the George Floyd Resolution as written.
I am a teacher at Oakland Technical High School, a parent of two kids at Lincoln Elementary, and a resident of District 3. It is time to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department and it should be done immediately. I urge the Board to pass the George Floyd resolution without any change.
Hello Oakland Board of Education,
As an Oakland community member, I am writing to support the George Floyd Resolution to remove the Oakland Police Department from our schools. The police are more likely to traumatize our children in the school environment than to bring safety. The school system can more effectively maintain safety through alternatives, which most likely require fewer funds. Please support the George Floyd Resolution.
Calling on all Board members to pass the resolution as written - police in our schools do not keep students safe. We have a chance to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline that way too many of our Oakland kids get caught up in. Take a stand today by closing the Oakland School Police Department and retraining security officers in the restorative justice practices that are one of OUSD's success stories.
I am a law clerk at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of San Francisco. LCCR supports eliminating the Oakland Schools Police Department. The District spent $9.3 million on the force between 2013-18, despite research showing that exposure to police early in the lives of Black students undermines their access to opportunities. School policing has no positive impact on crime or delinquency. Rather, exposure to police in schools disproportionately harms black youth, and students with disabilities, behavioral or mental health needs. Exposure to police in schools degrades educational opportunities for black and brown communities, and undermines public health and economic opportunity. We cannot continue to harm the next generation’s ability to learn, particularly when these harmful consequences disproportionately fall on Black and Brown youth. LCCR urges the District to honor its mission of academic achievement serving the whole child and eliminating inequity by eliminating the OSPD.
My name is liz suk, Political Director of Oakland Rising and resident of D7 with children who attend public school in D6. I am writing in support of the Black Organizing Project and the George Floyd Resolution. Thank you to the school board members who have changed their minds and hearts to show their support but the full task of actually cutting the department will take community input and BOP's integration into the planning. I hope that we are not being provided just lip service but are actually putting solid action behind your words.
I urge you to pass the George Floyd Resolution. The maintenance of a school police department means Black children face police terror every day at school. This is unacceptable. Thousands of Oaklanders have stood up and said "defend Black lives." Are you willing to do that? The first step would be to eliminate OSPD and divert its funding to measures that actually allow student to thrive — for their health, safety, and education. Police don't keep us safe.
Kids need to feel safe at school. The police do not add any safety to their lives, instead they harass kids and lead to a school looking more like a prison than a place of knowledge. This money could be used for advocacy or enrichment instead of fighting against parents’ fears.
OAS has thrived since it escaped the administration by the police. OPD out of schools will allow kids to be kids, instead of potential criminals to be surveiled.
My name is Laura Wesely, I’m a District 4 resident and have worked in public schools around the bay as a teacher and mental health counselor for the past 9 years.
I have witnessed countless interactions between students and police, and without exception, they are always negative. Instead of trying to connect or educate (like a counselor might), I witness officers--whether sworn in or not--belittling, patronizing, and threatening kids.
Research tells us that the prefrontal cortex, needs to be online in order to absorb information. The moment we feel intense stress, our prefrontal cortex goes off-line. When the sheer presence of a uniformed officer is a trauma trigger for so many of the Black and Latinx students, we are stripping them of their ability to learn and access information.
I urge you to decide in favor of the George Floyd Resolution, invest in the structures that actually support our students, like counselors, Restorative Justice Coordinators, mental health clinicians.
Having volunteered with youth of color in educational settings, they would benefit more from support systems like social workers and mental health professionals than from policing. This resolution is the a step in the right direction and I strongly support it.
I urge Oakland Unified School District to adopt the George Floyd Resolution as is and eliminate police (and security guards) from our schools. I know money is tight during Covid, and while it's probably not possible, I'd love to see the money saved on this resolution spent on tablets with 4G connections to help our students without access to devices or a stable internet connection learn remotely during the pandemic. Thanks to the board for working with the Black Organizing Project and working to make our schools safe and equitable for everyone.
Hi my name is Minister Cherri Murphy
I am a member and a licensed Spiritual Practitioner at Heart and Soul Center of Light in District 3
I also live in District 5, Fruitvale neighbor hood.
Today I am speaking on behalf of Black Organizing Project’s resolution urging you to drastically rethink school safety by having police free schools. Instead reallocating those funds to positions like counselors and other student support services.
The presence of militarized policing in schools can lead to nothing but bad outcomes for our Black and Brown babies.
Research has shown negative outcomes for Black and Brown students, who are arrested and disciplined at higher rates than their peers. They are traumatized by the reality of police maintaining the status quo through exploitation and murder of their families and friends. Eradicate school police in OUSD, the only district in Alameda County with its own police force.
I stand in full support with BOP and support the George Floyd Resolution to eliminate the Oakland School's Police Department. Cops have absolutely no place in schools. There is literally no reason for their presence in a learning environment. Their very presence is violent, harmful, and not conducive to learning. Stop endangering Black and brown students who are consistently harmed and killed by keeping police in schools. Stop contributing to the school to prison pipeline. Listen to the overwhelming community response and ELIMINATE THE OSPD.
As a Jew for black lives I stand solidly in support of this resolution and the end of police in OUSD schools. Youth should be treated with respect and kept safe. We can do that by investing in social work, mental health services, and their education. Not only do we not need police, police make students less safe. Make students feel less secure.
Pass this today. Support our youth. Support our communities.
I would like to support Black Organizing Project's George Floyd Resolution and encourage the Board to pass the resolution and show their support for the students of Oakland in their desire for police free schools and an educational environment that invests in their mental health and growth into adult members of the community.
Please remove police from our schools. I am adopting a Black child soon, and I do not want them growing up with a persistent police presence, both because I am worried about racist police violence, and because I do not want to normalize a carceral framework as part of their education.
As a person of faith and educator in Oakland, I believe the vote to remove OPD from OUSD isn't a political decision, but a moral one. This potentially historic vote is critical because it sends a message that OUSD is ready to listen and to believe black and brown voices. That means that to NOT vote to remove OPD is equally significant because it re-affirms the belief that black and brown lives do not actually matter. I believe that no one on our current board wants that, which is why I have faith that tonight will indeed be a historic decision - the first of its kind to truly reflect the community that makes up Oakland.
I understand this is incredibly difficult as far as planning and implementation but the good news is that while there will be many challenges, the actual moral decision is quite easy. A vote to eliminate OPD in OUSD is a vote for our highest calling as human beings. Thank you for taking the next step towards healing in our community by telling our kids "You matter."
I am a District 2 resident & mother of two. I am in full support of the Black Organizing Project’s George Floyd resolution & demand the unanimous & full adoption of it from the Board. No hybrid models! Oakland children, especially Black children, deserve to attend school in peace without the fear of incarceration, brutality, or deportation invading their consciousness as they walk through their school hallways. We can do better as a City and value the life of every child. Please support the resolution - no back room deals on half measures!
I am a concerned community member in Oakland. I am writing to ask you to pass the George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland School Police Department and remove police from OUSD schools in accordance with The Black Organizing Project’s People’s Plan for Police-Free Schools. Policing in OUSD schools dehumanizes Black and brown students in our schools just as it does in the streets. It pushes young people away from education and opportunity, and toward increasing contact with the criminal system. Our schools should be a place of learning for youth where we prevent conflict through school counselors, not law enforcement. This is your opportunity to take action to end discriminatory school policing and turn the District away from a long history of disproportionate harmful treatment of Black and disabled students. Vote yes to pass the George Floyd Resolution as written.
Please please support getting OPD out of OUSD and reallocate those funds toward social services that will better support our students and faculty.
Kids deserve better. I fully support removing OPD from Oakland schools.
I am a teacher at Oakland Technical High School, a parent of two kids at Lincoln Elementary, and a resident of District 3. It is time to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department and it should be done immediately. I urge the Board to pass the George Floyd resolution without any change.
Hello Oakland Board of Education,
As an Oakland community member, I am writing to support the George Floyd Resolution to remove the Oakland Police Department from our schools. The police are more likely to traumatize our children in the school environment than to bring safety. The school system can more effectively maintain safety through alternatives, which most likely require fewer funds. Please support the George Floyd Resolution.
Calling on all Board members to pass the resolution as written - police in our schools do not keep students safe. We have a chance to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline that way too many of our Oakland kids get caught up in. Take a stand today by closing the Oakland School Police Department and retraining security officers in the restorative justice practices that are one of OUSD's success stories.
I am a law clerk at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of San Francisco. LCCR supports eliminating the Oakland Schools Police Department. The District spent $9.3 million on the force between 2013-18, despite research showing that exposure to police early in the lives of Black students undermines their access to opportunities. School policing has no positive impact on crime or delinquency. Rather, exposure to police in schools disproportionately harms black youth, and students with disabilities, behavioral or mental health needs. Exposure to police in schools degrades educational opportunities for black and brown communities, and undermines public health and economic opportunity. We cannot continue to harm the next generation’s ability to learn, particularly when these harmful consequences disproportionately fall on Black and Brown youth. LCCR urges the District to honor its mission of academic achievement serving the whole child and eliminating inequity by eliminating the OSPD.