Our children have a very different school experience than most of us growing up. When we acted up, we were sent to the principal’s office—now they can be arrested. Police in schools have changed that dynamic to the point of trauma.

Sure, maybe the concept of police in schools is well-intentioned. When children are gunned down at school, we want to believe we can do something – AT THE SCHOOL – to make our children safer.

But police in schools is not the answer and it’s time for them to go. Let’s walk through it:

Gwinnett County only hires police who have at least five years’ experience on the street. Their transitional training amounts to instructions that there’s  a different standard to taze children.

Gwinnett SToPP provided cultural competency training to help fill in the training gaps. One officer took a dot exercise and used it to draw a phallus.  Another officer shared that he was agitated because “these people come here and want to assimilate.” While we appreciate his candor, surely some screening should have happened before he was hired. Is it any wonder that students with disabilities, and black, and brown students are disproportionately impacted by overly punitive discipline measures and SRO interactions.

Gwinnett SToPP discovered and eliminated a county wide SRO contact quota.

Gwinnett SToPP continues to hear stories about the routine tazing of children at Central Gwinnett High School and Gwinnett schools doesn’t publicly report these incidents. This is a violation of their own policies to report this data annually to the community.

We cannot overcome the dual role of SROs to serve both as staff and police. Children can confide in school counselors but police have a mandate to report misconduct. They are fundamentally at odds with effective and safe education. Real safety is a climate and culture of care and nurturing, a place where students are emotionally and physically safe to learn.

This state has an in loco parentis law that states that when children are at school the administration has legal parental authority. They can demand that a child submit to questioning without parental knowledge, consent or presence. They can authorize police to arrest your children in your name. Gwinnett County rules only state that parents must be notified in a “timely manner.”

We are done trying to fix police in school. They are an unnecessary illusion of safety that causes more harm than good. We demand police free schools. Sign the petition to make your voice heard. Join us to do this work.