The San Francisco Public School District will end its relationship with the city’s police department.
The San Francisco Board of Education voted unanimously late Tuesday not to renew an agreement with the SFPD for 12 armed school resource officers.
Hundreds of community members testified about the role of police in public schools at the meeting and another school board meeting two weeks earlier.
"Police have always upheld white supremacy, protected property and perpetuated violence and trauma," healthcare worker Ana Gabriela Icasa said. "They have no place in our schools or communities."
Mission High School alum Anna Avalos told board members the money could be put to better use.
"We’re cutting wellness programs, we’re getting rid of nurses, we’re getting rid of healthcare workers just to support this racist institution," Avalos said.
Some parents defended the program, saying some resource officers have built positive relationships with students and did not want to see the program eliminated too hastily.
San Francisco Board of Education Commissioner Alison Collins drafted the resolution and said it is about much more than just getting rid of resource officers.
"There are great school resource officers, but that’s not the system," Collins said. "We need to fix the system."
Collins called for school officials to rethink how conflicts are handled and ensure students have the support they need, such as violence prevention, food and housing.
The resolution also calls for teachers not to call police to campus for minor incidents.
A similar movement is underway as well in East San Jose, and the Oakland Unified School Board is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a proposal to eliminate the district’s police department. The proposal has majority support from the board as well as the Superintendent and even the district’s police chief.