The Los Angeles Unified School District funds the largest independent school police department in the nation. Last year, the department was funded to the tune of 70 million dollars. So, what does the district get for that investment? Well, according to a new report, a lot of distrust among students. Today we’ll dissect the research.
The report is based on nearly ten years of incident reports, and it has several very disconcerting findings. Perhaps the most disconcerting is this: while school enrollment has decreased in the past decade, funding for police in the district has increased. And yet students still don’t feel safe.
Joining us to talk about the report is the brief’s lead author, Elianny Edwards. She is a PhD student in the Human Development and Psychology division of UCLA’s Graduate School of Education, and a former K-6 classroom teacher.
