October 8, 2020 update:
At a moment when our communities are crying out for the protection of Black lives, a dismantling of white supremacy, and demanding racial justice, we must commit to non-police strategies in our schools. Police enforcement is not a sustainable or equitable solution for addressing health and safety of students, and contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline for students who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color. Salem-Keizer must divest from policing in our schools,and they must take that position now, regardless of whether students return to the classroom this year.
Related articles:
Pate, Natalie. “Salem-Keizer Leadership Misses Deadline on School Resource Officer Contracts Decision.” Statesman Journal, Salem Statesman Journal, 9 Sept. 2020, www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/education/2020/09/08/salem-keizer-oregon-public-school-resource-officer-blm-latinos-unidos/3437289001/.
Woodworth, Whitney. “Salem Police Chief: No School Resource Officers in Salem Schools - for Now.” Statesman Journal, Salem Statesman Journal, 28 July 2020, www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2020/07/27/salem-police-chief-no-school-resource-officers-salem-keizer-schools/5523990002/.
July 23, 2020 (previous coverage):
We stand with our community partners Latinos Unidos Siempre and Salem-Keizer Coalition in Equality, and the call to remove School Resource Officers (SROs) from Salem-Keizer schools. At a moment when our communities are crying out for the protection of Black lives, a dismantling of white supremacy, and demanding racial justice, we must commit to non-police strategies in our schools. Police enforcement is not a sustainable or equitable solution for addressing health and safety of students, and contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline for students who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color. Salem-Keizer must divest from policing in our schools. Join the efforts in demanding the removal of SROs from Salem-Keizer schools. Actions to take:
Sign the Petition – Add your voice to the growing list of community members demanding that the Salem-Keizer School District divest from policing in schools, and reinvest in education. Sign on here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/police-free-schools-in-salem-keizer-school-district?source=direct_link&fbclid=IwAR3INcTRdRE0RmO5D_0aNZp3fh2A-gJJrX3syCjF4KH2qqH47hJMsHfgrPE
Join the Youth Discussion – This Thursday July 23rd, Latinos Unidos Siempre is holding a virtual space for Black and Brown youth who are current or former Salem-Keizer School District students, to discuss removing SROs from the Salem-Keizer School District. Learn more and sign up for the virtual meeting here.
Read Partner Statements – Follow and read content from partner organization leading this effort. Latinos Unidos Siempre (LUS) is regularly posting advocacy opportunities on the LUS Facebook page, and the Salem-Keizer Coalition for Equality shared this important statement earlier this month.
Attend the School Board meeting https://salkeiz.k12.or.us/schoolboard/; Email public comments at: publiccomments@salkeiz.k12.or.us
