DPS to Remove Officers From School Campuses

Amidst the continuing protests for Black Lives Matter after a video surfaced of the blatant murder of George Floyd, the fight to defund the police has become a focal point of the conversation. Denver Public Schools (DPS) Board has now opted to remove all 18 of their School Resource Officers, which will be in effect by June 4, 2021. 

It is commonly known that law enforcement racial profiling largely affects Black and Latinx folks, and this holds true for our youth in schools with School Resource Officers that are on campus. Studies have shown that Black and Latino youth are more likely to be ticketed, suspended, and even arrested from the law enforcement placed on school campuses. 

The $750,000 contract that is being canceled will have the money placed towards mental health resources and to help students who have suffered due to the global pandemic. 

The ending of the contract will lead to the district’s superintendent, Susana Cordova, to begin the process of finding other ways to keep their students protected. 

BREAKING:

The Denver School Board has voted 7-0 to END the contract with the Denver Police Department! — WE DID IT! #BlackLivesMatter

— Tay Anderson (@TayAndersonCO) June 12, 2020

“It’s important to think about the full context here: strong safety resources on our campuses; trusting relationships with the adults in our schools; and the urgent and absolute need to end the school-to-prison pipeline. I believe the board has voted on this resolution with the best interest of students at heart,” Cordova said after the voting on Thursday.

This school-to-prison pipeline details how students in schools are once in contact with law enforcement, they are more likely to drop out of school and be placed in the juvenile justice system. What maintains this pipeline is the zero tolerance policy that punitively punishes students for both major and minor offenses. Being mainly impacted consistently and at a higher rate are Black students. This simply is a reflection of the representation of Black folks in our jails: being targeted which leads to making up most of the prison population.

Although juvenile detention rates have decreased by 41 percent, out of school suspensions have increased, further enhancing the school-to-prison pipeline. 

Altering the narrative and making an example for other districts to follow is DPS.