National Organizations Pen Letter to Montgomery County Council, Board of Education in Support of Removing Police from Schools

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the DC Council approved a budget that will fund building school safety teams to create safe and supportive school communities without the presence of law enforcement, while simultaneously ending the incremental phase out of police from schools. In 2020, the council decided to phase out police in school environments and instead invest in the resources that address the root causes of violence. This investment never happened. Instead of taking the opportunity to radically invest in school safety, the proposed budget of $19.7 billion includes up to $5.4 million in recruitment and conversion bonuses to…

WASHINGTON, DC – Today the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division issued a joint resource on race discrimination in school discipline.  The resource reiterates the civil rights obligations schools have to protect students from discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin, and provides examples of investigations into discriminatory school discipline policies and practices and how those investigations were resolved.   “Black students and other students of color are experiencing escalated police violence, school push out, and attacks on their freedom to learn, grow…

DENVER,CO–  Today, on behalf of Movimiento Poder, Advancement Project and Eric Maxfield Law, LLC asked the Denver District Court to allow it to intervene, or join,  in a lawsuit over the Denver Public School District Board of Education’s closed-door decision to suspend a policy prohibiting police in schools (the “Police Free Schools policy”). This reactionary decision came about in response to a tragic school shooting at East High School in Denver, and allows police in schools through June 2023. Movimiento Poder, a grassroots organization led by Denver parents and students who have organized for decades to…

PHOENIX, AZ — Yesterday, Phoenix Union High School District (the District) heard testimony on a school safety committee’s recommendations, including on bringing School Resource Officers (SROs) to the District after voting to remove school police in 2020.  The District also temporarily extended an agreement with the city for off-duty police officers.  Young people with Puente Human Rights Movement spoke out about the harms of school policing and advocated against adopting the committee’s recommendations. “The District must follow through on its commitment to a community-driven vision of school safety, and must reject the school safety committee’s reactionary…

WASHINGTON, DC — In response to the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, the National Campaign for Police Free Schools released these statements from Advancement Project and Alliance for Educational Justice, co-conveners of the campaign: “Once again we are mourning alongside a grieving community. We are devastated by the tragic murders of three children and three adults in Nashville. Young people deserve to be safe and nurtured while they learn and grow,” said Judith Browne Dianis, Executive Director of the Advancement Project. “In moments…

WASHINGTON, DC — The Denver Public School Board has suspended its policy prohibiting police in schools through the end of June. This sudden decision came about in response to a school shooting at East High School in Denver, the third shooting at that high school this year. It is the latest in a nationwide trend of decisions to walk back commitments made following the uprisings in 2020 to remove police from schools. “This hasty decision, made without community, is a reactionary approach that will only fail students and families.  Police do not…

Washington, DC — On February 16th, 2023, the Alexandria City Public School Board (ACPS) voted to approve a proposed budget for the 2024 school year that includes only minor increases in funding for student mental health supports and restorative practices. At the same time, the Board voted to add funding for security guards and equipment and adopted a recommendation that the city fund school police. This is the latest step to reverse the City Council’s 2021 commitment to permanently remove police from schools. “Though we are disappointed by this decision, the fight continues,” said Evelin Urrutia,…

DENVER, COLORADO – Advancement Project and Movimiento Poder are urging Denver Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education to vote against the closure of the now 5 elementary and middle schools in their November 17 board meeting. According to DPS, these schools are slated for closure due to declining enrollment.   “Following a process that was completely devoid of transparency and was not community driven, Denver Public Schools has proposed to close 5 of its neighborhood public schools – a change from merely a few days ago when there were 10 schools…

WASHINGTON, DC — In response to the gun control bill signed into law today, executive director Judith Browne Dianis at Advancement Project National Office issued this statement: “While there is an urgent need to address gun violence in the United States, policy solutions must aim to create truly safe, supportive and welcoming school environments that protect all students. This bill, among other issues, allocates at least $300 million to expand the school policing infrastructure through increased school hardening and surveillance — even though we know police in…

National Campaign for Police Free Schools, Texas Appleseed Demand Student Supports and an End to School Policing Washington, DC – In response to calls to increase police presence in schools, following the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas,  spokespeople from the National Campaign for Police Free Schools, co-convened by the Advancement Project National Office, Alliance for Educational Justice, and Texas Appleseed, issued the following statement: “Our hearts are with the families who lost loved ones in Tuesday’s mass shooting, as well as the…