TELL SAINT LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION AND SUPERINTENDENT KELVIN ADAMS TO DEFUND ITS TIES WITH SLMPD AND INVEST IN REAL STUDENT SAFETY! SIGN THIS PETITION!

Around the country, youth in concert with their families across cities have taken to the streets to address the murder, neglect, and disregard for black lives as has long been the case in the St. Louis region following the murder of Michael Brown Jr. Following the calls of other cities for alternative means of public safety such as Minneapolis, we are uniquely positioned to push for substantive and structural change here in St. Louis. While many of our local leaders have voiced support for black lives, few have taken steps to address the root of this issue. Part of the root is the way in which policing impacts black youth in our schools and communities. Black SLPS students such as VonDerrit Myers and Jorveis Scrugs have been gunned down by SLMPD and their murderers never got a conviction. In addition, black SLPS student Akeelah Jackson was literally run over by SLMPD and her murderer still has no conviction. In addition, so-called “safety” officers operate in schools with little oversight and no accountability to parents and students.  All of this disregard for black life and SLPS leadership reflects a failure to address issues of policing and education. To ensure the health and well being of our youth and their families, we are demanding that Saint Louis Public School Board of Education and Superintendent Kelvin Adams take steps toward leadership. 

In the city of Saint Louis, there has been a long and overdue call for the community to have a voice and wherewithal surrounding our city and its school’s approach to public safety and health. Given that an overwhelming majority of Black residents and their children in St. Louis City has or has had a relationship with Saint Louis Public Schools, we believe that defunding ties with SLMPD and investing in real student safety is critical. Replacing these “security services” funds with anti-racist, restorative, and community-led school safety measures alongside stronger investment into wraparound services for youth and families is the only step.

Hence, we are demanding that the Board of Education Representatives and Superintendent Kelvin Adams commit to a special meeting by Tuesday 30th June to discuss emergency plans around the following:

• Immediately cease any contracts SLPS has with SLMPD
• Bar any future contracts with SLMPD;
• Transform the Office of Safety and Security to an Office of School Climate/Restorative Practice and Equity and restructure the role of security personnel to become mentors and Restorative Peace/Culture Keepers;
• Investment in wrap around services and enrichment programming such as
• Therapists, Social Workers, and Counselors K-12
• Risk-Reduction plans for high risk youth K-12
• Resources around housing, job readiness, and mental health
• Restorative Justice, Anti-Racism, and Trauma Informed Programming K-12
• Fully funded arts programs
• Institutionalization of black studies K-12
• Accountability and the development of a response mechanism to support families and youth that experience police brutality.

The people are tired of being tired. There must be efforts to restore the community's faith in SLPS with regard to its approach to the health and wellbeing of our youth and their families. At this present moment, that faith is shaken. It is past time for the leadership of SLPS to take the lead in repairing past harms by creating infrastructure that enriches instead of diminishing the power of our youth and families. For the critics that will say this is impossible and doubt our collective capacity to make a difference in support of black youth and families: Don’t believe us, just watch.

TELL SAINT LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION AND SUPERINTENDENT KELVIN ADAMS TO DEFUND ITS TIES WITH SLMPD AND INVEST IN REAL STUDENT SAFETY! SIGN THIS PETITION!

Background Information:

- SLPS 2020 Budget Book https://www.slps.org/cms/lib/MO01001157/Centricity/Domain/12/2019-2020%20Budget%20Book%20Final%2010.30.19b.pdf

- Minneapolis Public Schools Votes to Terminate Contract with MPD

https://www.fox9.com/news/minneapolis-public-schools-board-of-education-votes-to-terminate-contract-with-mpd

- Efforts and Education around Policing in Schools - Oakland

https://www.berkeleyside.com/2020/06/05/for-9-years-the-black-organizing-project-has-been-campaigning-to-remove-police-from-oakland-schools-will-it-finally-happen

http://blackorganizingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/The-Peoples-Plan-2019-Online-Reduced-Size.pdf