Stoneleigh Board Member and former Fellow Kevin Bethel outlined how he plans to reform the Philadelphia school security force at a Policy Committee meeting hosted by the School Board on May 14.
In the wake of George Floyd’s killing and subsequent law enforcement clashes with protesters, the move for “police-free schools” is gaining support around the country.
And now the Philadelphia Student Union (PSU) is circulating a petition on Change.org asking for the School District to remove all police and school resource officers from schools and replace them with community members trained in de-escalation and other skills that support restorative justice.
PSU is also calling for an end to the District’s legal agreement with the Philadelphia Police Department that details under what circumstances city police can be called into schools.
The petition went up late last week, and by Thursday afternoon, more than 9,300 people had signed it.
