Moreno Valley Unified School District spends over $1.3 million dollars each year on law enforcement (Riverside County Sheriff's Department), and our school leadership knows there is no data that indicates police in schools generate any positive mental or educational outcomes for the student population. In addition, the data continuously proves that police on school campuses creates more harm to students, especially black students, and students of color.

On July 15, 2020 :

 A Legal Claim Seeks District Wide Changes in Moreno Valley after a Black Child with Disabilities was Handcuffed and Forcibly Detained by School Police. 

Read legal claim here

This calls for an end to harsh controversial practices which subject students to handcuffing, restraint, arrest, campus removal and hospitalization for non-threatening disability-related behaviors.

 “My son did nothing wrong in these situations. A couple of smart comments get you thrown out of your seat, handcuffed, and kneed in the back. He’s just a little 11-year-old. The District needs to stop treating kids as if they are criminals. Schools need to change. Kids should feel protected when at school like they do when they’re at home. School police should not be involved, especially when they are not trained to deal with kids. Since this has happened to my son he tells me police do not like Black people. We need to change for the better of our community and show the kids we care,” said the child’s mother. We also want all resource officers to be removed from the school system. If my child’s story is not enough evidence that resource officers should not be in the school system, then everyone ask yourself, ‘What if this was my child?’ We want resource officers replaced with caring counselors, caring staff members, and more caring teachers,” says the child’s father.

When Moreno Valley Unified School District funds law enforcement (Riverside County Sheriff's Officers) on our campuses, they are supporting and encouraging the school-to-prison pipeline. All the research on this topic shows that schools with School Resource Officers (school police) do not create safer schools. 

We must stop criminalizing students and traumatizing students of color. Spending $1.3 million on School Resource Officers has led to the escalation of minor disciplinary issues and non-violent infractions into violent, criminal incidents that have negative impacts on students, our families, and our community.

By signing this petition, YOU ARE standing with us to reallocate our educational dollars on resources that aid in social and emotional support. For example, balancing the ratio between counselors and students, adding more social workers, and creating programs that focus on psychological, emotional, and social needs. Let us band together and change this course of inter-generational harm that is affecting students, our families, and the community of Moreno Valley at large. 

Also, the Moreno Valley Unified School District Board of Education is having a Study Session Meeting on School Resource Officers and the $1.3 million Riverside County Sheriff Department contract on Thursday, July 23rd at 4 pm. HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD! Submit a public comment to be read to the Board of Education. Tell the Board of Education to stop criminalizing our students, and to eliminate the SRO's and the $1.3 million Riverside County Sheriff Contract. 

Click here to go to the Moreno Valley Unified School District's website on July 23rd before 4 pm and click on the public comment link to submit your comment in writing.

You can also email each Board Member and tell them to eliminate the contract as well. 

Dr. Marsha Locke, President -  mlocke@mvusd.net

Darrell Peeden, MPP, Vice Preisdent - dpeeden@mvusd.net

Susan Smith, Clerk - susan.smith@mvusd.net

Jesús M. Holguín - jholguin@mvusd.net

Cleveland Johnson - cjjohnson@mvusd.net