Join Cordova High’s Black Student Union and GenUp FCUSD for a peaceful protest to demand the school district end its SRO contract on July 17 at 10 am at Folsom Cordova Unified School District located at 1765 Birkmont Drive in Rancho Cordova. For those who cannot attend the conference, submit a public comment that will be read by organizers.
Organizers are focusing on Black students, parents, educators, and community members, as well as other folks who are disproportionately impacted by SROs and racism in FCUSD.
This student-led movement is calling on FCUSD for the following changes:
Remove School Resource Officers (SROs) from campuses even though the district has already renewed their contract for the 2020-2021 school year.
In a 2014 Education Week study, it was found that Black students in California make up only 6.2% of enrollment, but 15.7% of arrests. Disproportionate rates of arrests is a pattern true for Latinx and students with disabilities, as well.
Also, a 2016 ACLU study titled “The Right to Remain a Student” found that officers on campuses do not accomplish their objectives, and instead can contribute to lowering high school graduation rates, college enrollment rates, and the school-to-prison pipeline, specifically for minority students.
2. Reform curriculum to address racism in its actuality. We hope to adopt demands written by Diversify Our Narrative, an organization committed to the teaching of anti-racist curriculum. Check out their work here.
A minimum requirement of at least one book in every English/Literature and Comprehension class be by a person of color AND about a person/people of color’s experience(s)
Teachers must have autonomy to choose books from the recommended list provided OR if the chosen text satisfies Education Code 60002, Article III.
At least one of the mandated books be about the Black experience, due to the anti-Blackness that has existed since the inception of our nation.
The fiction books adopted as part of this curriculum are published post-civil rights movement to ensure that issues of race are taught with contemporary, modern-day context in mind.
This implementation be enforced not only in all standard English classes, but alternatives for standard English classes such as AP/IB programs.
These texts be analyzed to the same extent that any other traditional text would be analyzed in the classroom.
A voluntarily task force composed of teachers be created to issue guidelines that ensure these texts are taught with proper tools to ensure racial sensitivity.
3. Divest funds from the SRO contract directly to the students and their well-being.
4. Mandatory training for teachers and staff in regards to (but not limited to) Race, Implicit Bias and Cultural Sensitivity.
5. Replace existing SROs with a Hall Monitor Program.
We have to put a stop to the false narrative that subjecting our Black students to hyper surveillance will be beneficial. It hinders Black students from being able to perform well and feel safe. It also plays a part in the school to prison pipeline due to the overt and criminalization of Black Students. Normal adolescent behavior is criminalized for Black students. Enabling the criminalization of Black students fuels the school to prison pipeline.
According to current statistics presented by The Justice Collaborative, Black youth make up only 14% of youth in the US but account for 35% of all juvenile arrests, 36% of all juvenile court referrals and 40% of detained youth.
6. Require all of FCUSD board members to make a public pledge to reject campaign contributions from police unions and law enforcement as a stance against institutional racism.