Cia Siab, Inc. supports removing SROs from the School District of La Crosse. BIPOC youth should be able to feel safe and be safe at school.
Support our demand to remove SROs from schools by sending a letter to
the La Crosse Board of Education. Or, register to speak at the December
7th La Crosse Board of Education meeting at 6pm by calling 608-789-7659.
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From La Crosse Waking up White:
On 11/16/18 Dr. Engel,
superintendent of La Crosse School District gave his
recommendations/report to the La Crosse School Board concerning School
Resource Officers.
Here is his full report.
The School Board will vote on whether to change the present contract with School resource officers on Dec. 21st 6 pm meeting. If you want to have input you can register to speak at the Dec. 7th, 6pm School Board meeting by calling 789-7659
Here is the "summary" of Dr. Engel's report:
FINDINGS
School-to-Prison Pipeline:
Key findings show that the markers of the school-to-prison pipeline are present in the School
District of La Crosse.
1. The School District of La Crosse relies on exclusionary discipline at higher rates than
other school districts.
2. The School District of La Crosse disproportionately disciplines and suspends students of
color, students in poverty, male students, and students with disabilities.
3. Juvenile arrests occur at higher rates in the City of La Crosse than in comparable cities.
4. Black juveniles are disproportionately arrested in the City of La Crosse.
5. Graduation rates for Black students and students with disabilities have declined while
graduation rates for reference groups have grown or stayed the same, expanding
graduation gaps.
6. The La Crosse SRO program is staffed and funded at a higher rate than other comparable
school districts.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The School District of La Crosse is committed to providing an educational environment where
all students and families are safe, welcome, and included. Therefore the District must shift away
from punitive disciplinary practices, the criminalization of students and actions that contribute to
the school-to-prison pipeline. To achieve this, the following actions are recommended:
1. Develop and implement School District of La Crosse philosophies and disciplinary
practices that reduce punitive approaches to student misbehavior and eliminate the
criminalization of students.
2. Develop and implement School District of La Crosse philosophies and practices that lead
to proportionate disciplinary and arrest outcomes for historically marginalized students.
3. Expand and shift to therapeutic and restorative practices for students who have challenges
with behavior.
4. Expand proactive social service resources within the School District.
5. Reduce the ongoing, routine presence of SROs in school buildings while retaining
consistency of responding officers.
6. Establish an SRO Oversight Committee
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Letter to Editor (La Crosse Tribune, Sunday, November 29, 2020)
Recently, the Tribune opined that police should remain in our schools.
Asking if the school community is better off with police, they
concluded, “We haven't heard anything that says otherwise.”
Really?
Clearly,
someone is not listening. Recent public programs have highlighted
students, teachers, counselors, and parents telling us that police in
schools cause stress, harm students' educational experiences and
attainment, feed the school to prison pipeline, sometimes act
inappropriately, apply different standards to white and non-white
students, and require funds that could pay for more education
professionals.
The Tribune said that police in schools have been a
success. But the testimony, statistics, and research presented don't
point to success.
This kind of non-listening keeps bad policies, inequality, and racism in place. Dismissing others' experiences because
they don't fit with a preferred world view, closes off opportunities to
improve how things work. Ignoring the facts because they may upset the
way it's always been blocks change and inclusion.
The
superintendent's recommendation to keep police in the schools after all
the testimony, studies and data, was very disappointing and, to me,
cowardly. People are telling us that this program causes stress, harm,
and pain. Listen.
I hope the school board has the courage to
listen to those whose lives are adversely affected by this unnecessary
and harmful program. I hope they will remove police from our schools and
use the money to hire teachers and counselors whose goal is to assure
the best educational outcome for every student.
Cathy Van Maren, La Crosse
