Tell Springfield officials: don't let police spy on school kids.

Act Now

The Springfield School Committee recently approved, by a narrow margin, an agreement that would allow Springfield police to access school surveillance cameras directly, including both recorded footage and live feeds from interior and exterior cameras.

This proposal will not make schools safer in Springfield. Instead, it will open the door to cybersecurity threats and misuse by police, making students unsafe and contributing further to the school-to-prison pipeline and the criminalization of Black and Brown children. Given their record, Springfield police are the last people we want spying on students.

Please take a moment to personalize the message. Your voice and your reasons for supporting civil liberties matter!

Tell the Springfield School Committee to withdraw their consent for this agreement and halt the spread of needless police surveillance!

Message Recipients:
Springfield School Committee members
Mayor Domenic Sarno

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Subject

As a Springfield resident, I write to ask that the School Committee withdraw its consent from the agreement to grant police access to school surveillance cameras.

Message Body

Safety in schools is critical - but it depends on support, not surveillance. Letting police spy on students will do little to create a safe or supportive environment. Instead, it will accelerate the criminalization of Black and brown children who are denied the opportunities of their white peers, treated far more harshly for the same behavior, and too often trapped in the school-to-prison pipeline.

Although this agreement is designed primarily for "emergency" situations, police have wide latitude to define what constitutes an emergency. School officials and police in Springfield have a history of overreacting to minor student incidents, including over-relying on police to handle disciplinary matters that are better handled by counselors and other school staff.

Perhaps most worryingly, Springfield police have a terrible record of mistreatment when interacting with young people. In recent years, two officers from the department's Quebec Unit have been charged for assault or excessive force against students in school buildings. Meanwhile, the Narcotics Bureau was the subject of a scathing DOJ civil rights investigation, criticized for their racist and violent treatment of teenagers. We simply cannot trust this department to hold its officers accountable.

I urge you once again to withdraw the School Committee's consent from this agreement.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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Tell Springfield officials: don't let police spy on school kids.

Act Now

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