Thurs., Mar. 12: Webinar - Our Rights to Resources

March 12, 2020 @ 5:00 pm
March 13, 2020 @ 5:45 pm

Join us for a discussion on the newly-released report by Public Advocates, the ACLU of California, and Gente Organizada: Our Right to Resources. This report found rampant and illegal misspending by school districts on law enforcement and other hardening measures in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties.

Out of 136 school districts, more than 40% illegally diverted money intended for English learners, foster youth, and low-income students towards police, security guards, or other hardening measures such as surveillance equipment. These actions violate the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), the state's education funding law and only further criminalize high-need students, and students of color, especially Black students.

The report recommends that districts invest those funds instead on proven, evidence-based resources such as school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, school nurses, restorative justice practices, and positive behavior intervention supports. And it provides a toolkit and other resources that will help you advocate for resources in your own communities.

In this session we will:

  • Look at some of the findings from this report.
  • Share the story of how youth in Pomona won additional counselors through a LCFF campaign to divest funds from police and security and reinvest in counselors and other positive student supports.
  • Provide recommendations to undo this harm.
  • Provide tools for you to get involved in your school’s decisionmaking, including discussing a toolkit that will help you advocate for resources in your schools.
  • Answer any questions you have about the report, toolkit, or starting a campaign in your own district.

Speakers include:

  • Nicole Gon Ochi, Public Advocates
  • Victor Leung, ACLU of Southern California
  • Ariana Rodriguez, ACLU of Southern California
  • Irene Rivera, ACLU of Southern California
  • Amir Whitaker, ACLU of Southern California
  • California Association of School Counselors