THE RIGHT TO REMAIN A STUDENT: HOW CALIFORNIA SCHOOL POLICIES FAIL TO PROTECT AND SERVE

A disturbing trend has emerged in California — police officers are stationed in schools and are replacing educators as disciplinarians for minor offenses and student behavior issues. Further, on-campus policing often results in over-criminalizing students—mostly low-income students of color — and pushes affected students out of the educational environment and into the school-to-prison pipeline. This increased policing in schools harms school climate and undermines students’ self-esteem by making them feel like suspects and criminals.