Equity & Diversity Photos

Educators Rally for Police-Free Schools

By Bridget Fetsko — June 26, 2020 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

As protests against police brutality continue, parents, students and teachers from across the country are speaking out against the presence of police in schools. This week, educators in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles rallied to demand that funding be put toward additional services – including counselors, nurses, and classroom supplies for their students.

Chicago

Chicago Teachers Union members and hundreds of supporters rally in Federal Plaza in the Loop to call for the Chicago Board of Education to vote to end a $33 million contract between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department on Wednesday, June 24, 2020.
Chicago Teachers Union members and hundreds of supporters march through the Loop to call for the Chicago Board of Education to vote to end a $33 million contract between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department on June 24, 2020.
Youth activists stage a teach-in outside Chicago Board of Education President Miguel del Valle’s home in Belmont Cragin to demand an end to police presence in schools on Wednesday, June 24, 2020. The Chicago Board of Education is set to decide whether to end Chicago Public Schools’ $33 million contract with the Chicago Police Department and pull police officers out of schools.
Chicago Teachers Union members and hundreds of supporters march through the Loop to call for the Chicago Board of Education to vote to end a $33 million contract between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department on Wednesday, June 24, 2020.
Stacy Davis Gates, vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union, speaks during a rally in Federal Plaza in the Loop to call for the Chicago Board of Education to vote to end a $33 million contract between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department on Wednesday, June 24, 2020.
Chicago Teachers Union members and hundreds of supporters march through the Loop to call for the Chicago Board of Education to vote to end a $33 million contract between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department on Wednesday, June 24, 2020.
Chicago Teachers Union members and hundreds of supporters march through the Loop to call for the Chicago Board of Education to vote to end a $33 million contract between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department on Wednesday, June 24, 2020.
From left, Stacy Davis Gates, vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union, and activist Eric Russell and Laurentio Howard, whose daughter was shoved and dragged by a Chicago Police officer stationed at Marshall Metropolitan High School, lead hundreds of supporters in a march through the Loop on Wednesday, June 24, 2020.
Chicago Teachers Union members and hundreds of supporters march through the Loop to call for the Chicago Board of Education to vote to end a $33 million contract between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department on Wednesday, June 24, 2020.

Pittsburgh

Edoukou Aka-Ezoua holds a flag that reads “police free schools” as she listens to a speaker during the “Cops OUT of PGH Schools” rally to demand that police are removed from Pittsburgh public schools on Monday, June 22, 2020, outside the Pittsburgh Board of Education building. The rally occurred at the same time the school board was holding its meeting virtually.
Protesters hold signs and wear masks as they listen to a speaker during the “Cops OUT of PGH Schools” rally to demand that police are removed from Pittsburgh public schools on Monday, June 22, 2020, outside the Pittsburgh Board of Education building in Pittsburgh.

Los Angeles

A demonstrator holds a sign during a protest to demand the defunding of the Los Angeles School District police outside of the school board headquarters on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in Los Angeles.
Edward Tillman wears a mask which reads “I can’t breathe” during a protest to demand the defunding of the Los Angeles School District police outside of the school board headquarters on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in Los Angeles.
A demonstrator holds a sign in front of the downtown skyline during a protest to demand the defunding of the Los Angeles School District police outside of the school board headquarters on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in Los Angeles.
Demonstrators holds signs during a protest to demand the defunding of the Los Angeles School District police outside of the school board headquarters on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in Los Angeles.
A demonstrator holds a sign during a protest to demand the defunding of the Los Angeles School District police outside of the school board headquarters on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in Los Angeles.
Demonstrators raise their fists during a protest to demand the defunding of the Los Angeles School District police outside of the school board headquarters on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in Los Angeles.

A version of this article first appeared in the Full Frame blog.

Events

Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Boosting Student and Staff Mental Health: What Schools Can Do
Join this free virtual event based on recent reporting on student and staff mental health challenges and how schools have responded.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
Practical Methods for Integrating Computer Science into Core Curriculum
Dive into insights on integrating computer science into core curricula with expert tips and practical strategies to empower students at every grade level.
Content provided by Learning.com

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Equity & Diversity Race Is a Big Factor in School Closures. What You Need to Know
Districts are more likely to close majority Black schools, researcher says.
5 min read
Key in keyhole on wood door
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Equity & Diversity Opinion There's a Difference Between Equity and Equality. Schools Need to Understand That
Equity looks different depending on the situation, and it's not always straightforward. That can cause confusion.
15 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity What the Research Says New National Data Show Depth of Disparities in a Chaotic Year of Schooling
The first federal civil rights data released since the pandemic show that inequities persisted even when school buildings shut down.
10 min read
Tanya Holyfield, a second grade teacher with Manchester Academic Charter School, teaches remote students from her classroom on March 4, 2021, in Pittsburgh.
Tanya Holyfield, a 2nd grade teacher at Manchester Academic Charter School, teaches remote students from her classroom on March 4, 2021, in Pittsburgh. New federal data from the 2020-21 school year show that longstanding inequities among groups of students did not change much even in a year when many students spent all or part of the year in remote and hybrid learning.
Andrew Rus/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Equity & Diversity Opinion Am I Anti-Equity? You Decide
The push for equity has taken us into territory where "pro-equity" ideologues are doing destructive things in the education space.
5 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty