Testimony: School Security in District of Columbia Public and Public Charter Schools
Children’s Law Center Policy Attorney Danielle Robinette testified before the DC Council’s Committee of the Whole about school security in DC Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools. Danielle thanked the Committee for continuing to provide oversight regarding the transition away from police in schools and toward best practices in safe and welcoming schools. She also highlighted our support for DCPS’s continued efforts to reimagine school safety in a way that does not contribute to the criminalization of Black and Brown students, but instead enhances their educational experience in DC’s public schools.
Danielle urged the Committee to ensure that charter schools are included in the conversation about reimagining school safety. She also emphasized the importance of divesting local dollars from the Metropolitan Police Department School Safety Division, then investing those dollars in programs that create and reinforce safety in our schools like the School-Based Behavioral Health Program, restorative justice programming, behavioral intervention support staff and more.