Get Cops Out of Schools

Police do not make schools safer.

Instead, having thousands of officers in schools across New York City increases the chances students will get arrested, often for minor misbehavior. And those arrests make it more likely students will drop out, fueling the school-to-prison pipeline.

Tell city leaders: Get cops out of our public schools.

Message Recipients:

Mayor Eric Adams
Speaker Adrienne Adams
City Council Education Chair Rita Joseph

Police officer at a school
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Your Message
Get Cops out of schools

New Yorkers are fed up with a city government that funds the police above all else.

One thing we’ve known for a long time: police can’t improve education. Students need excellent teachers, access to extracurriculars, well-stocked libraries, new computers, and healthy school buildings to get the education they deserve.

Yet thousands of police officers are assigned to New York City schools, even as educators are constantly told to cut classroom spending. The presence of these cops significantly increases the likelihood that students experience abuse and arrest when they should be met with compassion and inclusion. And it does nothing for their education.

I’m writing to demand that you remove police officers from our schools. Instead of metal detectors and handcuffs for kids, you must fund restorative practices, mental health care, the arts and extracurriculars, and classroom supports.

For decades, police in schools have overwhelmingly targeted Black and Latinx students, brutalizing them, criminalizing them, and making their schools feel like prisons.

The City should significantly reduce the money it spends on policing Black and Brown communities, and use that money to protect school budgets. The budget currently on the table does not do this.

We must get cops out of the classroom and fund real educational solutions.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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