Los Angeles school district cuts 133 police officers, bans use of pepper spray on students
California’s largest school district in Los Angeles approved plans on Tuesday to cut 133 police officer jobs and ban the use of pepper spray on students.
The Los Angeles Unified School District’s board announced its decision to reduce its police force by one-third and institute the pepper spray ban in a move to make students of color more comfortable at school, according to The New York Times.
The district also declared it would divert $25 million to go toward a Black Student Achievement plan to help minority students through increased counseling, teacher development, curriculum updates and other programs promoting inclusion.
Board member Jackie Goldberg said students and community organizers were involved with the plan’s development.
“Needed services and supports are made possible by trimming the school police budget,” she said. “I have heard the concerns of Black students who have felt targeted by school police. I believe there are creative ways to keep our schools safe that don’t rely on having an officer stationed on campus.”
The decision comes after months of discussions on the role of police in the district of about 650,000 students and will leave … (Read more)
Comments are closed.