LAUSD Faces Backlash for Removal of School Police Amidst Safety Concerns

Parents in the Los Angeles Unified School District are demanding the reinstatement of police officers in schools due to alarming increases in violence, illegal substances, and threats on campuses.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is under intense scrutiny from parents who are demanding the return of police officers to schools. Amidst growing concerns about violence and the presence of drugs and weapons on campuses, parents have taken their voices to the school board and launched online petitions to restore law enforcement presence.

"High school and middle school students bring home videos of intense fights on campus," said LAUSD parent Maria Luisa Palma. "Groups of kids fighting, a kid on the ground, with other kids jumping on top of them."

The LAUSD school board voted in 2021 to remove police officers from schools, but a safety board is now asking that individual schools be given the authority to determine whether to have officers on campus. However, the school board has previously rejected such resolutions.

"This has become the norm here," Palma said. "The district is normalizing this type of violence, and we hear it from our kids."

Official data released by LAUSD in April confirmed the anecdotal reports of increased violence, illegal substances, and threats during the 2022-2023 school year. The report sparked outrage among parents, who attended a school board meeting on Tuesday to demand additional safety measures.

"How many students have to die before you do something?" one parent asked at the meeting. "We need school police in all our schools."

Shiva Bagheri, another LAUSD parent, attributed the "lawlessness" in schools to the "defund police" movement. "It's creating chaos in our schools and our streets," she said.

Palma has launched an online petition demanding the return of police officers to schools. "It's heartbreaking to think that our kids are being exposed to drugs and violence at school," she said. "They need police to feel safe."

Palma believes that the district's shift away from suspension-based discipline to a "restorative justice" approach has contributed to the lack of consequences for students' misbehavior. "There are no deterrents to keep kids from acting out," she said.

The issue has become a political football, with some parents and community members arguing that police officers create a hostile environment for students. However, the alarming safety concerns raised by parents have put the school board under pressure to reconsider its decision.

The debate over police presence in schools is a complex one, balancing the need for safety with the concerns about racial profiling and the school-to-prison pipeline. As LAUSD grapples with these issues, the well-being and safety of its students remain paramount.