News Update

Activists push for a police-free Los Angeles Unified

Community and student activists are pushing for Los Angeles Unified to eliminate police from schools and reinvest that money in socioemotional wellness and in academic support for the district’s Black students. 

The Police Free Coalition, which includes organizations such as United Teachers Los Angeles and Reclaim Our Schools Los Angeles, released a report Tuesday urging LAUSD to redirect the funding and focus on fostering its connections with families and local communities. The coalition is pushing for more climate, mental health and college counselors as well as nurses in a plan that it said would cost the district $800 million per year.

This comes after activists successfully advocated for LAUSD to cut the police budget in 2020 by more than a third and reverted funding to an achievement plan dedicated to Black students. The district also stopped having police officers stationed in schools. The renewed call to address school policing also comes alongside labor negotiations with the teachers and workers unions.