Opinion: Police in Schools
As our country and our city continue to wrestle with complex issues of race and racism we feel it is important, as a school serving Black and Brown girls, to be part of ongoing conversations that impact students.
WSG supports the DC Board of Education’s resolution to reimagine school safety by removing police from schools, and DC City Council’s decision to return control of school security to DCPS instead of MPD. Research shows that Black students, and particularly Black girls, are disciplined, suspended, and arrested in school disproportionally. We highly recommend that those interested in learning more about how this topic impacts Black girls read or watch Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique W. Morris, available as both a book and documentary film.
WSG does not have armed officers on either of our campuses. It is critical that our students feel safe in school, and that discipline is enacted fairly with both justice and rehabilitation at the center of those decisions. Removing police from DC’s schools and replacing them with trained, professional social workers and other mental health resources could be an important step towards racial equity in schools. We have found those to be key aspects of our success in supporting our students.