Disability Rights California (DRC) urges Sacramento City Unified School District to defund school police and reinvest those funds into social supports and mental health services for students with disabilities and into providing teachers and staff with mandatory, ongoing anti-racism and implicit bias trainings.

DRC strongly believes that police have no place in schools. The presence of officers on campus perpetuates the criminalization, traumatization, and brutalization of students with disabilities, particularly Black students with disabilities. Minor disciplinary issues, including non-violent incidents, can and should be handled by qualified and trained counselors or other staff – not school police.

In our work across the State, we see school police subject students with disabilities to a litany of abuses. In particular, Black students with disabilities are frequently tackled, handcuffed, and arrested for experiencing mental health crises or exhibiting disability-related behaviors that pose no safety threat. In SCUSD, two-thirds of students with disabilities referred to law enforcement are Black. By contrast, just 20% of students with disabilities in SCUSD are Black.

We demand the Board meet this critical moment by defunding school police and removing them from campuses, and putting a stop to criminalization and abuse of students with disabilities, particularly Black students with disabilities.

Disability Rights California (DRC)

Is the agency designated under federal law to protect and advocate for the rights of Californians with disabilities. The mission of DRC is to advance the rights, dignity, equal opportunities, and choices for all people with disabilities. For more information visit www.disabilityrightsca.org.

Update: 6/29/2020

Sacramento City Unified board members approved a 2020-2021 school district budget on Thursday, and did not include a contract with the Sacramento City Police Department, ultimately severing ties with the Student Resource Officer program.

SacBee Story: Sacramento City Unified votes to sever contract with city police