Cops Out of Roanoke City Public Schools!
RCPS Superintendent Verletta White, RCPS School Board
Cops remain stationed in Roanoke City Public Schools (in the form of “School Resource Officers” aka SRO's, and DARE Officers) even though violent crime rates remain low and schools are overall safe for students. Any potentially beneficial services provided by cops in schools could be done by others who are more qualified than a police officer would be.
Demands:
Remove all police presence from Roanoke City Public Schools.
Reallocate those funds (nearly $1.2 million) into programs & services that actually help keep students & school workers safe, including but not limited to: conflict resolution training/classes, mental health services, comprehensive tutoring, arts & afterschool programs, adult education & counseling for parents, and livable wages for the least-paid school workers.
Replace punitive-based disciplinary models in schools with alternative models & methods such as: restorative justice, social & emotional learning, and behavioral reinforcement.
Rationale:
There is no evidence that having cops in schools makes them safer.
In fact, multiple studies have found that schools with police presence
report feeling less safe than similar schools with no police. However,
there is evidence that police presence in schools detrimentally affects all students, particularly Black and Brown students, students who are
undocumented, students who are disabled, students with mental health
issues, and students who identify as LGBTQ+. In Roanoke City Schools,
more than half of all elementary students physically restrained are
young Black males, when they account for only a quarter of the
population. Young Black males are disproportionately arrested in our
schools. They are almost 5 times more likely to be referred to law
enforcement than white females. During the 2015-2016 school year Black students made up 44% of the student body in Roanoke schools yet accounted for 2/3rds of suspensions and 57% of police referrals. According to the latest published data,
52 of these students were in our elementary schools. This is not because
young Black males commit more crimes but because these students are the
target of implicit bias and explicit bigotry. Regionally, Virginia schools refer students to law enforcement agencies at a rate nearly three times the national rate. This is the
school-to-prison pipeline. Schools are branding students as criminals as
early as elementary school. That designation follows them forever.
We should not be relying on cops to discipline our children.
Doing so treats everyday childhood behavioral problems as criminal
behavior that needs to be punished within the court system. This
traumatizes students, permanently affects their lives, and keeps them
from growing and learning in a positive environment.
Alternative disciplinary models are cheaper and more effective than police presence in schools. The 2020 City of Roanoke budget allocates nearly $1,200,000 for police presence in schools. These funds could be used much more effectively if they were invested in alternative resources centered on students and their communities.
Endorsing Organizations:
Roanoke Jail Solidarity
Roanoke Peoples' Power Network
Further Reading:
"Cops Out Of Schools", Roanoke Peoples' Power Network, 2018
"Defund Cops In Schools & Demilitarize RPD", Roanoke Peoples' Power Network, 2018
"School Safety Is Vital--But Are Armed Police Officers The Answer?" Roanoke Peoples' Power Network, 2018
Sponsored by
To:
RCPS Superintendent Verletta White, RCPS School Board
From:
[Your Name]
Cops remain stationed in Roanoke City Public Schools (in the form of “School Resource Officers” aka SRO's, and DARE Officers) even though violent crime rates remain low and schools are overall safe for students. Any potentially beneficial services provided by cops in schools could be done by others who are more qualified than a police officer would be.
As parents, school workers, and community members, we ask that you enact the following:
1. Remove all police presence from Roanoke City Public Schools.
2. Reallocate those funds (nearly $1.2 million) into programs & services that actually help keep students & school workers safe, including but not limited to: mental health services, conflict resolution training/classes, comprehensive tutoring, arts & afterschool programs, adult education & counseling for parents, and livable wages for the least-paid school workers.
3. Replace punitive-based disciplinary models in schools with alternative models & methods such as: restorative justice, social & emotional learning, and behavioral reinforcement.
Rationale:
There is no evidence that having cops in schools makes them safer. In fact, multiple studies have found that schools with police presence report feeling less safe than similar schools with no police. However, there is evidence that police presence in schools detrimentally affects all students, particularly students of color, students who are undocumented, students who are disabled, students with mental health issues, and students who identify as LGBTQ+. In Roanoke City Schools, more than half of all elementary students physically restrained are young Black males, when they account for only a quarter of the population. Young Black males are disproportionately arrested in our schools. They are almost 5 times more likely to be referred to law enforcement than white females. According to the latest published data, 52 of these students were in our elementary schools. This is not because young Black males commit more crimes but because these students are the target of implicit bias and explicit bigotry.This is the school-to-prison pipeline. Schools are branding students as criminals as early as elementary school. That designation follows them forever.
We should not be relying on cops to discipline our children. Doing so treats everyday childhood behavioral problems as criminal behavior that needs to be punished within the court system. This traumatizes students, permanently affects their lives, and keeps them from growing and learning in a positive environment.
US Department of Education data analyzed in a 2015 report by the Center for Public Integrity show that in a single year, Virginia schools referred students to law enforcement agencies at a rate nearly three times the national rate.
Alternative disciplinary models are cheaper and more effective than police presence in schools. The 2020 City of Roanoke budget allocates nearly $1,200,000 for police presence in schools. These funds could be used much more effectively if they were invested in alternative resources centered on students and their communities.