The Labor/Community Strategy Center’s Community Rights Campaign rejects Boardmember Ratliff’s resolution to study expansion of police into elementary schools, proud members of the Ethnic Studies Now – #OurHistoryMatters, Dismantle #School2 Jail Track, #DemilitarizeLAUSD Coalition

After many months of work in schools in South Los Angeles and Boyle Heights the Strategy Center’s Community Rights Campaign has been organizing our classrooms and neighborhoods to push for the approval of an Ethnic Studies graduation requirement at LAUSD. As a group that has been a leader in the movement to end the LAUSD’s school to prison pipeline, we believe that the establishment of Ethnic Studies in our schools is another cornerstone in tackling the school to prison pipeline. The building of a students’ knowledge of our people’s history further strengthens the student sense of self, builds greater understanding of others, breaks the monotonous teaching of standardized testing and can further support a more inclusive school environment.

New Resolution Calls for Study to Expand Police in Elementary Schools

Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Ratliff introduced and was originally calling for a vote at the November 18th Board meeting on a resolution geared towards expanding school police in the elementary schools under an ‘opt-in’ system. The resolution was postponed to the December 2nd meeting after concerns were raised by the Community Rights Campaign. If Boardmember Ratliff’s resolution passes it would direct the District to conduct a study of the fiscal impacts of litigation under the premise that adding police to more schools would offset these costs. The Community Rights Campaign questions the costs to students and families and finds this move on the part of Boardmember Ratliff extremely dismissive of the work and success that students have achieved with the Board challenging the school-to-prison-pipeline through the School Climate Bill of Rights resolution, the truancy reforms and the LASPD guidelines to curb police interactions with students.

Read the Full Article on The Strategy Center website