Meeting Time: June 24, 2020 at 4:00pm PDT
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Agenda Item

I.-1 20-1335 Adoption by the Board of Education of Resolution No. 1920-0260 - George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department.

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    Sophia Nogue over 4 years ago

    As a Family Nurse Practitioner in Oakland, I support the George Floyd Resolution to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department.

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    Zoraida Serrano over 4 years ago

    I am an Oakland teacher in D5 and a resident in D1. I strongly urge you to vote in favor of the George Floyd Resolution as it stands, without amendments. You have the data, you have the sentiment of the community. Please take the step to support our students TODAY.

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    Hailey Dutkin over 4 years ago

    As an Oakland resident I strongly support the resolution to eliminate the Oakland Schools police department. Our families, students, and communities can only benefit from diverting police funds to mental health, family, and other support services.

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    Anne Spevack over 4 years ago

    I am a resident of District 1, and I am asking you to pass the George Floyd resolution. The arguments have already been made, please listen to your community.

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    Christina Shauf over 4 years ago

    I strongly support Black Organizing Project's George Floyd Resolution to eliminate police in public schools, and I urge the OUSD School Board to vote in favor of this very important resolution with no amendments. As a long-time community worker and organizer, with much of my time working with young people. We should be funding essential resources and programs that revitalize youth development and education, which fosters an environment that feel safer and encourages healthy learning, growing and mutual respect. We need to stop the school to prison pipeline, and need to stop thinking that police make schools safer. I stand with the Black Organizing Project to eliminate police in schools. Oakland, let's set an example for other cities to come up with progressive alternatives to safety for our young people.

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    Jenny Hu over 4 years ago

    I strongly support the George Floyd resolution and advocate for the money to be used in ways that are determined by the school communities themselves. They know what they need!!!

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    Nhuanh Ly over 4 years ago

    I urge you to support BOP's George Floyd Resolution. We all know too well of the school-to-prison pipeline, and this is a tremendous opportunity to halt it, and redirect funds to provide our children and youth increased support and opportunities to thrive. Thank you for being on the right side of history.

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    Monica Vu over 4 years ago

    As an OUSD educator, I support the George Floyd Resolution to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department.

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    Danielle Gerena over 4 years ago

    As an OUSD teacher and parent, I strongly support the George Floyd Resolution to eliminate police in Oakland Public Schools as written and with NO amendments.

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    Skyelar Willis over 4 years ago

    I am a mental health provider at an elementary school in East Oakland. Despite constant efforts and hard work from the school staff, the students do not feel safe in their school environment. Our black and brown children are too often criminalized rather than empowered to be successful learners. Educators are in desperate need of conflict resolution and restorative justice training, but our school lacks funding to provide it to them. Eliminating police from OUSD schools and providing additional funds for mental health staff and other supports for our students will improve our schools and our communities.

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    Jennifer Lin over 4 years ago

    I'm an OUSD parent in Maxwell Park/ Melrose Leadership Academy, and I stand with the Black Organizing Project in calling on you to pass the George Floyd Resolution to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department. The money can be better used to invest in Black students and communities in Oakland, and to fund prevention and social service programs that will go a long way to creating restorative justice and safe schools.

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    Jake Hager over 4 years ago

    With our current unhinged, loose cannon police system we have in the United States, there is absolutely no place for police officers in school. They historically brutalize Black Americans, have very limited training, and are armed with deadly weapons. Let's keep children, (especially children of color) in our community safe by abolishing the existence of officers in school.

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    Liz Grewal over 4 years ago

    I will be an OUSD teacher this upcoming school year. I strongly support the George Floyd Resolution to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department. Let us support our students with resources such as counselors, mental health providers, restorative practices, bolster special education services, and increase para educator staff, etc. Our students deserve better.

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    Bo Prochnow over 4 years ago

    My name is Bo Prochnow and I am a lifelong resident of Oakland in support of passing the George Floyd Resolution to Eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department as written and without amendment. The presence of police in Oakland schools can never to be said to be making schools safer when their presence endangers Black and brown students and makes clear to those students from a young age that they are in a system that does not place its trust in them. It is heartbreaking and frustrating beyond words to see public funds spent on police while the counselors, social workers, and restorative justice practitioners who truly can help students are inadequately supported. I recognize and thank the Black Organizing Project for their long-running and tireless fight to end police presence in Oakland schools, and urge the board to implement this measure with the continued input and oversight of BOP and Black and brown community members.

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    Calvin Williams over 4 years ago

    I’m a resident and homeowner in District 4, and Part-Time Instructor at Oakland High School this Fall teaching a dual-enrollment course on Community Violence Prevention. But today, I want you to see me as a Black Father who is urging you to vote for the George Floyd Resolution to ensure:

    1. OUSD No longer employ law enforcement or armed security within District Schools
    2. Direct the Superintendent to reallocate funds marked for school police officers toward student support positions;
    3. Create a community planning + review board to adopt District Safety Plan with restorative strategies for student learning and well-being.

    We will protect each other by investing in restorative justice, community safety and violence prevention practices. If there's ever a city with the brilliance and commitment to do so, it is Oakland. Start with a budget that reflects our love for Black children. That is why I chose to stay and make Oakland home for my family, and for my son.

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    Kiara Hermann over 4 years ago

    I support this Resolution, police do not belong in schools! Please invest in our students' education and wellbeing instead of police presence in public schools.

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    Natasha Saleski over 4 years ago

    As an Oakland parent and teacher, I urge the board to adopt the George Floyd Resolution without amendments.

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    Rebecca Edwards over 4 years ago

    As an OUSD librarian in Deep East Oakland I see every day that my students are desperate for real safety at school. They need more BIPOC teachers. They need leaders who respect their humanity and step up to heal historical and community trauma. They need mental health resources, restorative justice, student council, libraries, and all the arts. Police do none of this. The mere presence of police terrorizes our students and families.

    This week Oaklandside uncovered the racist origins of police in OUSD. The NAACP made the same complaints **in 1963** that Black Organizing Project is still making today. That shameful fact alone should convince you that we cannot allow this institution to stand one more day. https://oaklandside.org/2020/06/23/how-oakland-unified-school-district-got-its-own-police-force/

    After you pass the George Floyd resolution, Oakland educators must be included in the community-driven safety plan. We CAN and will keep our students safe, given real support.

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    Sarah Isaacs over 4 years ago

    Kudos to Directors Torres and Gonzales for bringing this vital resolution! This is long overdue. Thank you for being on the right side of history.
    Too many Black and Brown students have been harmed. I strongly support this Resolution!

    I also IMPLORE you to not just "engage" with the community but to actually TAKE REAL ACTION based on the input of the COMMUNITY THAT HAS BEEN HARMED by the OUSD police for many, many years. Do listen to the deeply well informed insights and rely on their expertise and lived experience.

    Given that the only OUSD Board meeting where there has been violence, it was perpetrated by the OUSD Police against parents and teachers in front of young students, I am glad to see the end of this false sense of security. I hope that Dir. London finally recognizes that this is an inappropriate use of OUSD's precious funds. I am looking forward to a new paradigm of restorative justice and proactive interventions and pathways to employment & higher education. Thank you!

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    Hayley Kellner over 4 years ago

    I demand that you approve the George Floyd Resolution as-is. We must defund school police and reinvest in other sources of essential support for our students and community. Black students in Oakland deserve safety and comfort at school, which will not happen as long as we continue to have school police.