SBCUSD board pressed to take action on suspension policy, citations
Students and community organizations gathered to protest the San Bernardino Unified School District’s role in the school-to-prison pipeline. The article cites CJCJ’s report revealing San Bernardino to be one of two cities where school officers arrest students and appear to do so frequently.
“According to recent research done by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, San Bernardino is one of two major cities whose school district officers have authority to arrest students. American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU) community engagement and policy advocate Luis Nolasco pointed out that the report highlights the school officer arrest policy (implemented by SBCUSD in 1997) that has resulted in approximately 59,290 students being arrested through 2013. During the 2013 – 14 school year, of the 9,618 suspensions given, 30.7‑percent were classified under Willful Defiance.”