CAMPAIGNS
Police Free Schools
We are fighting for an end to the school to prison pipeline by advocating for the removal of school resource officers from our public schools.
Across the country, harsh disciplinary practices on students are favored more than their education.
This has to stop.
We are fighting for an end to the school to prison pipeline by advocating for the removal of school resource officers from our public schools!
2018-2019 School Year
BASED ON DATA FROM THE
In Connecticut,
2.7 students per 1000 are arrested
VS
In Waterbury,
13.7 students per 1000 are arrested
Waterbury students are 5 times more likely to be arrested than their peers
Let's break it down -
In 2018-19, nearly all student subgroups were arrested.
44%
Black student arrests increased by a massive 44%
28%
Hispanic student arrests increased by 28%
21%
White students experienced the lowest increase of 21%
In 2018-19 Black students continue to experience the greatest rates of arrests. Comparatively, Black students across the state are arrested at a rate of 5.4 students per 1000 but in Waterbury the rate is obscene at 22 students per 1000. That's 4 times greater. Compared to white students in Waterbury its nearly the same. Hispanic students are arrested at a rate of 13.3 per 1000 and their Hispanic peers across the state are arrested at a rate of 4 per 1000
These trends show how biased and fundamentally racist Waterbury practices are.
Now let's talk about gender.
Male Students in Waterbury
Female Students in Waterbury
Black male students are arrested at a rate of 26.8 students per 1000. Black male student arrests increased 84%
Black female students are arrested at a rate of 16.6 per 1000
Hispanic female students at a rate of 10.7 per 1000
Hispanic male students at a rate of 15.9 per 1000
White male students at a rate of 7.4 per 1000
White female students at a rate of only 3.3 per 1000
These disparities, now illuminated, should be the foundation for systemic change in Waterbury.
It should be noted that these rates are lower than male students but still exceed state rates of 2.7 per 1000 by a large margin.
The system is crashing down hard on our students in Waterbury, especially our Black and Brown female students.
It's time to defund police in our schools and invest in resources that support and nurture our young people.
We demand
Police accountability and transparency in schools
A state-wide definition for school resource officers (SROs)
Removal of all School Resource Officers
Reinvest in School Resource Officers