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Morning Brief: LAUSD’s Campus Police
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Good morning, L.A.
In June of this year, the L.A. Unified School District board voted to cut funds to on-campus law enforcement by $25 million – a 35% cut to the school police department’s overall budget. Today, reports my colleague Carla Javier, the board will hear recommendations on how to redirect the funds.
According to the motion passed in June, the $25 million is to be earmarked for services supporting students in historically underserved schools. In a report that will be presented today, the district’s division of School Culture, Climate and Safety, and its division of Instruction will recommend that the funds go towards psychiatric social workers, guidance counselors, mentoring opportunities, non-police safety personnel and more.
The effort to remove police from school campuses was part of the year’s larger protests around systemic racism and police brutality. Student activists, the local teachers’ union, and Black Lives Matter-L.A. all voiced their desire to have campuses free from uniformed law enforcement.
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"Having a police officer on campus doesn't send a message of safety, but a message of fear," said recent Dorsey High School graduate and activist Marshé Doss at the June board meeting.
Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A. today, and stay safe out there.
What You Need To Know Today
Coronavirus Updates: Five nurses at an L.A. Kaiser Permanente Hospital were the first locals to receive the coronavirus vaccine. Several legal and employment experts have said employers likely have the right to require a COVID-19 vaccine, but others suggest the answer is not so clear-cut.
Policing The Police: California lawmaker Reggie Jones-Sawyer’s’ recent proposal would require new police officers be at least 25 years of age, or have at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
Local Schools: LAUSD’s newest board member, Tanya Ortiz Franklin, will be seated today.
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Here’s What To Do: Celebrate Kwanzaa and Nochebuena, pay homage to Federico Fellini, watch a lauded (and long-suppressed) Iranian film, and more in this week’s best online and IRL events.
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