>During a special meeting on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Unified School District's Board of Education will consider an amendment to the 2020-2021 budget that would reduce 133 positions from the LAUSD Police Department, including 70 sworn officers. The officers at secondary schools would be replaced with a new "climate coach" role, in addition to psychiatric social workers, counselors and restorative justice advisors.
>According to the school district's proposal, climate coaches will assist site administrators and staff by "supporting a safe and positive school culture and climate for all students, staff, and community members" and will "be from the communities they serve with extensive knowledge and familiarity to strengthen student connection."
>Climate coaches would be trained on how to implement a positive school culture and climate, how to build positive relationships and elevate student voices, how to use social-emotional learning strategies to strengthen student engagement, how to eliminate racial disproportionality in school discipline practices, how to use effective de-escalation strategies to support conflict resolution and how to understand and address implicit bias.
>The police officer reductions are part of the Black Student Achievement Plan, which would direct $36.5 million annually to provide supplemental services and support to 53 schools that have high numbers of Black students and "high need indicators".
So riddle me this: If a 200-lb student is beating up some other kid, who's better equipped to stop him? A 200-lb cop or a 125-lb "climate coach"?
>>During a special meeting on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Unified School District's Board of Education will consider an amendment to the 2020-2021 budget that would reduce 133 positions from the LAUSD Police Department, including 70 sworn officers. The officers at secondary schools would be replaced with a new "climate coach" role, in addition to psychiatric social workers, counselors and restorative justice advisors.
>>According to the school district's proposal, climate coaches will assist site administrators and staff by "supporting a safe and positive school culture and climate for all students, staff, and community members" and will "be from the communities they serve with extensive knowledge and familiarity to strengthen student connection."
>>Climate coaches would be trained on how to implement a positive school culture and climate, how to build positive relationships and elevate student voices, how to use social-emotional learning strategies to strengthen student engagement, how to eliminate racial disproportionality in school discipline practices, how to use effective de-escalation strategies to support conflict resolution and how to understand and address implicit bias.
>>The police officer reductions are part of the Black Student Achievement Plan, which would direct $36.5 million annually to provide supplemental services and support to 53 schools that have high numbers of Black students and "high need indicators".
So riddle me this: If a 200-lb student is beating up some other kid, who's better equipped to stop him? A 200-lb cop or a 125-lb "climate coach"?
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