Montgomery County, MD has more than TWICE the National average of all the students arrested by school resource officers (SROs)  in the country as cited by the MoCo chapter of the ACLU Maryland. This is unacceptable! Students shouldn't have to fear being arrested by going to the very institutions they need to learn, thrive, and gain the hallmarks needed to be productive members of society.

According to the Education Week, an online news publication, Black students are more likely to be arrested while at school. The Education Week Research Center finds that black students are arrested at school in 43 states and Washington, D.C. at disproportionately higher rates than non-black students. Particularly in schools where Blacks make up less than 50 percent of the student population. 

The Education Week published a chart on Nation-wide and State-wide data detailing that school's with higher instances of police officers also have a higher number of arrests. Maryland and Montgomery County are no exception. 

The presence of SROs in Montgomery County Public schools provides police with direct access to students in which situations can be improperly escalated and lead to an arrest. Situations that may not require police intervention are being handled with police which are negatively effecting Black students' mental health, perception of law enforcement, and their ability to be treated fairly and humanely in society.

Our students need to be educated and learn how to resolve issues without police intervention. PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION TODAY so we can let MoCo school board know that not expanding police presence isnt enough we need SROs REMOVED from ALL MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS!

Contact the Montgomery County School Board today and tell them to remove police from our public schools!

MoCo School Board Members:

Shebra L. Evans - shebra_L_evans@mcpsmd.org

Brenda Wolff - brenda_wolff@mcpsmd.org

Jeanette Dixon - jeanette_e_dixon@mcpsmd.org

Judith Docca - judith_docca@mcpsmd.org

Karla Silvestre - karla_silvestre@mcpsmd.org

Rebecca Smondrowski - rebecca_k_smondrowski@mcpsmd.org

Nate Tinbite - nathaniel_tinbite@mcpsmd.org

Patricia B. O'Neill - patricia_o'neill@mcpsmd.org

Tweet @MCPS or Call (240) 740-3030

Resources: 

https://wjla.com/news/local/montgomery-co-opts-not-to-expand-sro-program-amid-complaints-from-aclu-naacp-residents​

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/01/25/black-students-more-likely-to-be-arrested.html​

https://mococivilrights.wordpress.com/2017/06/06/youth-police-panel-student-arrest-rates-in-moco-schools-much-higher-than-in-md-or-us/​

https://www.edweek.org/ew/projects/2017/policing-americas-schools/student-arrests.html#/overview