Philadelphia Student Union, Advancement Project National Office Pen Policy 805 Opposition Letter to Philadelphia Board of Education - Advancement Project - Advancement Project

Philadelphia Student Union, Advancement Project National Office Pen Policy 805 Opposition Letter to Philadelphia Board of Education

PSU releases demands in response to proposed emergency preparedness policy, including removal of metal detectors in schools

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The Philadelphia Student Union (PSU), supported by Advancement Project National Office, has publicly opposed the Philadelphia Board of Education’s proposed Policy 805 “Emergency Preparedness,” urging that the policy will reinforce a nationwide trend of seemingly investing in the safety of students, but actually criminalizing Black and Brown students, LGBTQIA+ youth, and children with disabilities.

Policy 805 “Emergency Preparedness” last revised in August 2016, acts as the foundation for the School District of Philadelphia’s system of emergency preparedness to ensure that the health and safety of students and staff are safeguarded. Administrative procedures for Policy 805 mandate that all high schools use walk-through metal detectors and x-ray scanners at all points of student and visitor entry.

Julien A. Terrell, Executive Director for PSU explained, “We want young people to be safe, but this is the wrong plan and the wrong investment of our tax dollars. Our youth don’t need to feel like suspects walking in to a place of learning. The School District has not studied the current safety conditions and are willing to spend more funds on policing and security systems without engaging the people who will be most impacted by their decision. There should be no mandate of metal detectors but instead investments in supports for young people that create a learning environment where they can thrive.”

Andrew Hairston, Advancement Project Staff Attorney stated, “Metal detectors feign safety but in actuality only further the criminalize Black and Brown youth in their places of learning. There’s a lack of evidence of their effectiveness but there is research showing that the presence of metal detectors may detrimentally impact student perceptions of safety.”

Black students comprised 51 percent of the enrollment in Philadelphia public schools, yet they accounted for a striking 71 percent of out-of-school suspensions and 75 percent of expulsions, according to the 2015-2016 Civil Rights Data Collection of the U.S. Department of Education.

Any further investment in policies that allow for the policing and criminalization of students in their places of learning must come to an end in order to avoid the exacerbation of the school-to-prison pipeline and making Black and Brown young people feel unwelcome in their schools.

PSU and Advancement Project National Office urge the Board of Education reject policies that give the appearance of safety in schools and instead, meaningfully engaging the Philadelphia community in determining what will truly make young people feel safe in school. In addition to this demand, PSU set forth a full list of demands, below:

  • No Metal Detectors should be added at Workshop School, SLA and SLA Beeber Decision-making authority for future placement of metal detectors and school police should remain with principals and should not be mandated.
  • The School Board should mandate an assessment of the effectiveness of the current school safety plan including the Office of School Safety which has continued to receive funds without any real evaluation of its operations. This should include:
  • Use of funds, hiring practices, records of complaints and violations and assess ment of current policies overseeing school police and security.
  • The School Board should mandate a town hall on emergency preparedness to give students, parents and teachers space to share their thoughts and recommendations on school safety and emergency planning.
  • Mandate risk assessment for any new funds allocated to school safety and security that includes review of current spending, effectiveness of current measures used, potential risk of increasing staffing and infrastructure and viable alternatives to be weighed alongside.

For more information on the Philadelphia Student Union, visit: http://phillystudentunion.org/ 

For more information on Advancement Project National Office, visit: https://national.advancementproject.org/

Click here to view the full opposition letter.

###

The Philadelphia Student Union exists to build the power of young people to demand a high quality education in the Philadelphia public school system. We are a youth led organization and we make positive changes in the short term by learning how to organize to build power. We also work toward becoming life-long learners and leaders who can bring diverse groups of people together to address the problems that our communities face.

Advancement Project National Office is a multi-racial civil rights organization. Founded by a team of veteran civil rights lawyers in 1999, Advancement Project was created to develop and inspire community-based solutions based on the same high quality legal analysis and public education campaigns that produced the landmark civil rights victories of earlier eras.

KEEP READING

National #PoliceFreeSchools Advocates Welcome “Counseling Not Criminalization” Legislation

Bicameral bill would shift federal resources away from school police and incentivize investment in evidence-based supports for students 

Read More
National organizations pen letter to Montgomery County Council, Board of Education in support of removing police from schools

Following recent police assaults of young people in Florida and New York, the call for #PoliceFreeSchools in Montgomery County is emphatic

Read More
STATEMENT: Osceola Sheriff’s deputy viciously assaults student, underscoring urgency in call for #PoliceFreeSchools

After a year of #PoliceFreeSchools wins in cities nationwide, Advancement Project National Office and Alliance for Educational Justice respond to recent #AssaultAtLiberty

Read More
Arnold & Porter Partners with Advancement Project National Office to Address Equity in Education

Washington, DC — December 17, 2020 — Arnold & Porter and Advancement Project National Office announced today that they have established a three-year partnership to address systemic inequalities in the United States education system. The partnership will support the Advancement Project National Office’s mission to fight systemic racism in schools, which continues to disproportionately impact students of color, as well as low-income students. “All children deserve equitable access to high quality education,” said Arnold & Porter firm Chairman Richard Alexander. “We look forward to partnering with the Advancement Project National Office on a range of initiatives from expanding our pro…

Read More
Webinar on the Power of Sheriffs in Florida – August 10, 2020 at 2pET/11aPT

On Monday, August 10, 2020, at 2p ET/11a PT, join Advancement Project National Office, Dream Defenders and New Florida Majority for a webinar on the power and role of sheriffs in Florida, and how sheriffs impact the school-to-prison pipeline. Learn about organizing efforts to defund policing budgets and address harm throughout Florida, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Receive political education about the history of policing and what communities are doing to build power to build a world without police. Register today!  …

Read More
Advancement Project National Office Supports New Counseling Not Criminalization Bill

Media Contact: Gina Physic, 202-505-4659, [email protected] Lawmakers today introduced a bill to help schools cut ties with police. Under the Counseling Not Criminalization Act, Federal funding would be prohibited from being used to hire, train, or keep law enforcement in schools. In addition, the bill would create a $2.5 billion grant program to replace police in schools with school psychologists, social workers, and other staff who are suited to help support mental health and provide trauma-informed services to young people.  The Senate version of the Counseling Not Criminalization Act was…

Read More
Advancement Project National Office Celebrates National Cousin’s Day!

Did you know July 24 is a national holiday? Advancement Project National Office uplifts National Cousins Day today, which celebrates the extended family members we know and love – our cousins. During this sustained moment of protest and unrest across the country, as well as calls for truth, racial justice and reconciliation, it’s time to lean into the honest perspectives our cousins often provide. When it comes to race, our family can harbor views and beliefs that are ill-informed, ignorant, and damaging.  Because of this, conversations around race can…

Read More
Youth Across Country Petition School Boards to Reimagine Safety in National Week of Action

Black and Brown Youth Demand #PoliceFreeSchools with National Week of Action Today, June 22, 2020, marks the beginning of a week-long, nationwide call to support young people and their allies in the fight for police-free schools. This national week of action is being called by the National Campaign for Police-free Schools led by the Alliance for Educational Justice (AEJ) and Advancement Project National Office and supported by the Center for Popular Democracy, the Communities for Just Schools Fund, and the Funder’s Collaborative for Youth Organizing. In the week ahead, communities across the country,…

Read More
Decades Long Fight by National, Local Organizations Lead to Unanimous School Board Vote in Denver

Denver Public School Board votes to end contract with Denver Police Department Unanimously, the Denver Public School Board Thursday night voted to end the contract between Denver Public Schools (DPS) and the Denver Police Department. The resolution that the school board voted on calls for a 25 percent reduction of school resource officers (SROs) by December 2020 and the complete elimination of SROs in DPS by the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Additionally, it directs the superintendent to reallocate money used for SROs toward social workers, counselors, restorative justice, and other practices.

Read More
Local and National Support Grows in Advance of Denver Public Schools Vote to End Contract with Denver Police Department

Today, Denver Public School Board Members will vote on a resolution that has the potential to terminate the contract between the Denver Police Department (DPD) and Denver Public Schools (DPS). This, part of a wave of similar school board actions nationwide to remove police from schools, started with decisions in Minneapolis, MN and Portland, OR following the brutal murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in May.  The resolution calls for a 25 percent reduction of school resource officers (SROs) by December 2020 and the complete elimination of…

Read More