500 signatures reached
To: Superintendent Christy Perry and School Board Directors
Counselors Not Cops: In Salem Keizer Public Schools
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Police free schools in Salem-Keizer is under attack! Let the Superintendent and School Board Directors know that we want our schools to continue being free of police presence.
In 2021, BIPoC, disabled, undocumented and trans and queer students won the fight to end the physical presence of police in our schools (School Resource Officers), as part of our work to abolish the school to prison and deportation pipeline. By continuing to have police free schools, our school district can address many of the other issues that push students into the criminal justice system. To do this, we need our district to establish and invest permanently into resources that support the well-being and mental health of students NOT for police in our schools. We need permanent investments into;
*Culturally and gender affirming in-school physical and mental health services, including for students with behavioral and physical disabilities
*Hiring more staff and educators of color
*Ethnic studies/culturally and gender affirming programs for middle school and high schools
*Arts and music education in predominantly Black and Brown schools
*Culturally and gender affirming after school activities
*In creating programs and partnerships with community-led organizations led by Black, Indigenous, People of color
*Culturally and gender affirming mentoring and tutoring programs for predominantly low-income schools
*Expansion of college prep programs for predominantly Black and Brown schools
*Restorative justice models and systems within our schools
This includes fully and permanently reinvesting the full1 million SRO funds into these programs, $600,000 which have been used to invest in security guards.
In 2021, BIPoC, disabled, undocumented and trans and queer students won the fight to end the physical presence of police in our schools (School Resource Officers), as part of our work to abolish the school to prison and deportation pipeline. By continuing to have police free schools, our school district can address many of the other issues that push students into the criminal justice system. To do this, we need our district to establish and invest permanently into resources that support the well-being and mental health of students NOT for police in our schools. We need permanent investments into;
*Culturally and gender affirming in-school physical and mental health services, including for students with behavioral and physical disabilities
*Hiring more staff and educators of color
*Ethnic studies/culturally and gender affirming programs for middle school and high schools
*Arts and music education in predominantly Black and Brown schools
*Culturally and gender affirming after school activities
*In creating programs and partnerships with community-led organizations led by Black, Indigenous, People of color
*Culturally and gender affirming mentoring and tutoring programs for predominantly low-income schools
*Expansion of college prep programs for predominantly Black and Brown schools
*Restorative justice models and systems within our schools
This includes fully and permanently reinvesting the full1 million SRO funds into these programs, $600,000 which have been used to invest in security guards.
Why is this important?
Police in schools have served as the main bridge for students of color, poor students, students with disabilities and trans and queer students to enter the criminal justice system.
Our goal is to create a path where our public schools become a place where students are nurtured and provided with the resources that help us grow to be healthy adults. We want to end the long history of systematically criminalizing Black, Indigenous and other students of color, specially those living with behavioral and physical disabilities as well as trans and queer students that attend Salem Keizer Public Schools.
Even though in 2021, Superintendent Christy Perry decided NOT to renew the School Resource Officers program, which took about 1 million dollars from our education funding, far right groups who do not represent students are attacking this student-led victory. We need the full and permanent reinvestment of SRO funds into non-punitive education programing/staff and we want our school district to make a commitment to end the school to prison and deportation pipeline.
Our goal is to create a path where our public schools become a place where students are nurtured and provided with the resources that help us grow to be healthy adults. We want to end the long history of systematically criminalizing Black, Indigenous and other students of color, specially those living with behavioral and physical disabilities as well as trans and queer students that attend Salem Keizer Public Schools.
Even though in 2021, Superintendent Christy Perry decided NOT to renew the School Resource Officers program, which took about 1 million dollars from our education funding, far right groups who do not represent students are attacking this student-led victory. We need the full and permanent reinvestment of SRO funds into non-punitive education programing/staff and we want our school district to make a commitment to end the school to prison and deportation pipeline.
How it will be delivered
Data format to present to school board members and school district administration