LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Los Angeles Board of Education has approved an immediate 35% cut to its school police force, a reduction of $25 million, in response to weeks of protests by student activists and community groups who had called for the elimination of the department.
The board action on Tuesday also calls for officers to give up their uniforms and patrol off campus, and will lead to the layoffs of 65 officers in the 471-employee department. The money saved will be allocated to fund staff to specifically serve the needs of Black students and a task force that will study ways to re-imagine the issue of student and campus safety.
“L.A. Unified has to continue to be a leader in showing what can happen when we believe in self-determination, when we empower communities to help this organization transform itself,'' said board member Monica Garcia in remarks reported by the Los Angeles Times.
The 4-3 vote was supported by Garcia, Jackie Goldberg, Nick Melvoin and Kelly Gonez. Opposing the move were board President Richard Vladovic, George McKenna and Scott Schmerelson -- all retired longtime school administrators who expressed concerns about safety risks.
Goldberg's chief of staff, Sharon Delugach, said Tuesday night that the resolution also would require officers to be unarmed and would prohibit the use of pepper spray. However, those provisions were not in the resolution read aloud to the board.
The portion of Garcia's language that was preserved said the money saved would go to “support African American student achievement to the extent of the law.'' And until safety alternatives are worked out, all schools would have access “to appropriate community support in the event of an emergency.''
Just before the vote, Garcia added an amendment that would bar theschool district from replacing the school police by contracting with the Los Angeles police, the county sheriff's department or a private security force.
The vote to reduce the police force came at the end of a 13-hour meeting that started with public comments over the issue, which has roiled the school district since June 8, when leaders of the teacher's union joined with activists and called for the elimination of the police department.
The California Charter Schools Association this morning offered praise for the Board of Education vote.
It said the board had taken “meaningful action to move our public school system forward by investing in resources, services, and supports that both create safe school campuses and also promote the well-being and learning of every child.''
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