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STL SCHOOL DISTRICTS: LOVE IS A VERB
The weekend prior to Valentines Day, our organizing family got together virtually (see above) to write love notes to decision makers across STL School Districts. The purpose was to encourage those in authority to challenge harmful policies around security and safety that contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline. After the cards were made, they were mailed to the offices of those in leadership. The day of Valentines Day, our organizing family also participated in a social media blast sharing memes tied to the issue. We'd like to thank all who participated in these activities. Check out the social media blast effort below.
Griot Donnell Jones once eloquently and prophetically expressed: when you love someone, you just don’t treat them bad. The relationship between policing and our youth is egregiously toxic. Bad decision making reflects and fuels this leading to confusion and harm. Hence the question to authority within districts, where do you want to be? The jury is still out.
The reliance on a punitive approach to student discipline is enforced by security professionals or police officers stationed in school also known as School Resource Officers ("SRO's"). This approach exacerbates and facilitates the school-to-prison pipeline, while a restorative approach can interrupt the pipeline.
School budgets reflect an over reliance on the security/punitive/policing approach, when social workers, counselors, and restorative practitioners, etc. are shown to make youth not only feel more connected to school but also more safe.
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