The contract with the Verona Police Department must be terminated. Many students and members of Verona have long felt that our schools need to be police free and you have the power to change that.

Why is it that Black children are taught how to properly act around police when police should be learning how to safely communicate with citizens? Every single time I see a cop, whether it’s in the school hallway or on the sidewalk, I make sure my hands are visible and there is nothing in my pockets that can be mistakenly thought of as a weapon. I know I’m innocent and I have done nothing wrong, but it’s an instinct; I don’t have to be armed, my skin color is already a weapon to police. A majority of the Black lives lost due to police have also been unarmed. It’s traumatizing enough for Black students to go out into the world and fear their life anytime they see a cop nearby. Why would you maintain that fear in us now that we are forced to face another cop, feeling unsafe in our own school?

Afraid. Stressed. Unsettled. Apprehensive. On edge. Anxious. That's how the marginalized students of Verona feel when they spot police officers around the school. Numerous “always feel uncomfortable when cops are around, not because [they’ve] done anything wrong but because of [their] skin color” (VAHS student ‘21). On top of that, “officers at Verona have never made a visible effort to create relationships with students and in reality serve only one purpose- escalating situations” (VAHS student ‘21). Not only are students actively expressing their disapproval of school police, but it’s also shown in studies that discrimination is detected. A report from the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education showed despite that Black students only constitute a small percentage of overall students, they are “2.3 times as likely to receive a referral to law enforcement or be subject to a school-related arrest” than their white peers. No, it is not because Black students are just ‘vicious’ or ‘tend to cause more trouble’; that’s an unwanted stereotype. Even outside of schools Black people are being discriminated against by police, proven by the countless innocent Black lives lost due to cops. Schools are letting in the same cops that have the mindset and prejudice against Black people, and it is affecting us! By continuing to allow policing in school, you are actively reinforcing the school to prison pipeline. 

A majority of the time, Black students get suspended for minor reasons that can be resolved without police. An article from the Justice Policy Institute stated that “white students were more likely to be disciplined for provable, documentable offenses — smoking, vandalism, and obscene language — while black students were more likely to be disciplined for more subjective reasons, such as disrespect.”  There is no need for police officers to penalize a misbehaving student when there are social workers who actually know how to communicate with students.

It is essential to make sure the safety of students is being maintained, but that can be achieved without police officers. Personally, I was skeptical about having security guards because I thought it would be like having police officers with a different title, but my opinions had quickly changed. It’s because of the effort they’ve made. I, like many other students, have a better connection with the three security guards that have only been working for a school year rather than any police officer that has worked at Verona during my high school career. The security guards  “were really nice and were always there for you, and showed up to our games” (VAHS student ‘22). By creating that connection, there is a better chance of effectively holding students accountable when it’s by someone they know and trust rather than a stranger with an intimidating uniform. During the one year they’ve been here, the security guards have been able to “create a safe and friendly environment while also protecting us without guns” (VAHS student ‘21). Clearly, it can be seen how unnecessary school officers are because there are numerous staff members who already make this school environment safe.

Although you may not have the power to end police brutality and the broken justice system in America, you do have the power to make students of color at Verona feel safe. It is being demanded that the Verona Area School District cut ties with the Verona Police Department. You are doing more harm than justice by allowing their existence in our schools. One of the pillars for our district is to have “safe, inclusive learning environments”, but how have you accomplished that goal with having school police when a majority of your students don’t feel safe around them?