Counselors Not Cops: Ending the Regular Presence of Law Enforcement in Schools

The presence of police in schools has escalated dramatically in the last several decades, and the figures on arrests and referrals to law enforcement show disproportionate targeting of Black and Latino students. This is just one aspect of the school-to-prison pipeline, where some students are denied an opportunity to succeed, and instead are pushed out of school and into the juvenile or criminal justice system. While the complete emotional, social and financial impact of daily police presence in schools is not fully understood, it is clear that students and their families are criminalized, and that school-based arrests and referrals to law enforcement go up when police have a regular presence in schools.

The Dignity in Schools Campaign has developed the following recommendations for schools, districts, states and federal policy-makers divided into three sections:

#1 End the Regular Presence of Law Enforcement in Schools

#2 Create Safe Schools through Positive Safety and Discipline Measures

#3 Restrict the Role of Law Enforcement that are Called in to Schools

#1 End the Regular Presence of Law Enforcement in Schools

We are calling for removal of any law enforcement personnel assigned to be present on a regular basis in schools, including sworn officers (and unsworn if they are armed security), municipal police officers, school police officers, school resource officers (SROs), sheriff’s deputies, parole and probation officers, truancy officers, ICE officers or other immigration officials and armed security guards.

In the 2013-2014 school year 24% of elementary schools (grades K-6, excluding justice facilities) have sworn law enforcement; 42% of high schools (grades 9-12, excluding justice facilities) have sworn law enforcement.

Schools with SROs may also be more likely to report non-serious violent crimes (i.e., physical attack or fights without a weapon and threat of physical attack without a weapon) to the police than schools lacking SROs.

#2 Create Safe Schools through Positive Safety and Discipline Measures

Instead, school staff trained to ensure safe and positive school climates, such as community intervention workers, peacebuilders, behavior interventionists, transformative or restorative justice coordinators, school aides, counselors and other support staff, can and do prevent and address safety concerns and conflicts. These staff monitor school entrances and ensure a welcoming environment, respond to the root causes of conflict and disruptive behaviors, prevent and intervene to stop intergroup and interethnic tension, and address students’ needs.

Nationally, Black students are 2.3 times more likely to receive a referral to law enforcement or a school-related arrest as white students. (Office for Civil Rights, 2013-2014).

One study of the School Survey on Crime and Safety data found that for no crime type was an increase in the presence of police in schools significantly related to decreased crime rates.

#3 Restrict the Role of Law Enforcement that are Called in to Schools

On those rare occasions when it is appropriate for law enforcement to enter a school building, there should be agreements with police departments that limit the cases when law enforcement can be called in, with particular safeguards in place to ensure students’ rights to education and dignity are protected, in addition to their constitutional rights to counsel and due process.

In every state in the US, spending on corrections grew at a much higher rate than education spending.

On average, per student spending on education at the state and local level decreased by 28% while spending on corrections increased by 44%.

Take Action!

Call on your policy-makers to remove police from schools!

Join our National Week of Action from October 15-23, 2016!

Members and allies of the Dignity in Schools Campaign from around the country will hold actions in support of these five demands:

#1 Shift funding from school police to counselors, peace builders and positive discipline.
#2 Fund and use transformative and restorative justice, mediation and positive interventions.
#3 Stop arresting and pushing out students of color, LGBTQ youth, students that are homeless, and students with disabilities at higher rates. (Black students are pushed out at the highest rates nationally.)
#4 Make sure states and districts focus on school climate under the new federal law - the Every Student Succeeds Act.
#5 End paddling and physical punishment in all schools.

Counselors Not Cops: Ending the Regular Presence of Law Enforcement in Schools