Join us for a teach-in on removing police from our public schools!

Preview - Policing in Schools

Hi ,

Policing in schools is a critical racial justice issue in Somerville and across the country. For many of us, we had the privilege of growing up and going to school without the presence of police. That is not the reality for students in Somerville and more importantly has not been the reality for Black and Brown students, students from gateway cities, and students with disabilities who are disproportionately disciplined and arrested rather than receiving the support and care they deserve.

This is a growing problem that has only gotten worse over time:

In 1975, only 1% of schools reported having police officers on-site. By 2018, about 58% of schools reported having a police presence.

Oftentimes I hear from well-meaning friends and neighbors that here in Somerville and in Massachusetts, surely in the grand scheme of things, we must be doing pretty well. This is simply not true when it comes to policing in schools and many other issues on racial justice.

Citizens for Juvenile Justice published a stark and upsetting report (and livestream briefing) on School Policing in Massachusetts, showing clear racial disparities in student arrests:

There are also startling disparities in how students with disabilities and especially students of color with disabilities are disciplined. This is taken from a study conducted by CFJJ in Boston.

You can read the full report here. But a key finding that we have the power to change is that the presence of a police officer increases school-based arrests for low-level, non-violent behaviors.

Teach-in on policing in schools: 12/7 at 7pm

Policing in schools is decided at the local-level and we have the power to change this. Join us for a teach-in on Monday 12/7 at 7pm on zoom to learn more. You can also see all the supporting materials and context for the teach-in here: linktr.ee/JusticeForFlavia

This teach-in will cover what we as a community can do about policing in schools. Police presence in schools is defined by the MOU or "Memorandum of Understanding" between the Somerville Police Department and the Somerville Public Schools.

There are a lot of key decisions in MOUs that determine how, when, and for what reasons police enter schools and interact with students. For a sneak preview, you can review many of these key decisions defined in MOUs in the candidate questionnaire organized by Justice For Flavia. Each question is a key decision defined in the MOU. Here are 2 examples:

We have the power to ensure that our students are not criminalized or traumatized by law enforcement in schools and instead receive the care and support they need. Let’s build the schools our students deserve together and join us for the teach-in on MOUs on Monday! See you there!

In solidarity,

Erika