After a long and strenuous battle with their random wanding policy, all co-located Green Dot schools (e.g. AJR, ACPA, Locke, etc) must now comply with LAUSD’s wanding policy. This policy requires that staff conduct daily metal detector searches of all students and their belongings for weapons, even if students have no probable cause or if there are no safety concerns at the site. This current policy contradicts existing LAUSD policies and ineffective, intrusive and excessive. It allows for zero flexibility for educators and does not allow them to consider the unique needs of their students and campuses. The policy only serves to heighten tensions on campus and damage school morale.

 

As educators who work to improve our society through our schools, we find this policy extremely egregious and damaging to the positive communities we work to build. We are educators, leaders and  community members who are guided by social justice and equality, especially in the communities of color we serve, we find this policy and its implications problematic, oppressive and unjust.

 

So what then, can we do? How can we operate under parameters we don’t believe in?

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While both Green Dot and AMU do not agree with the stated policy, we understand the importance of compliance. Neither parties are interested in risking the livelihood of our hundreds of staff members, or displacing our thousands of students that attend our schools in order to prepare for college, career and life. There is just too much at stake.

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Currently, we ask for your support in helping our co-located educators fight this backwards policy. Please reach out and call the Superintendent of LAUSD, Board Members (all public servants) and let them know your concerns. Challenge them to have a dialogue with these co-located sites, their parents and the students. If they have genuine concerns about safety, let’s work together to make progress. If you have already called them, call them again and let them know this is still an issue you are concerned about.

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Call them at the following numbers:

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Superintendent
Michelle King
(213) 241-7000
superintendent@lausd.net

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District 1
Dr. George McKenna
213-241-6382

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District 2
Monica Garcia
213-241-6180

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District 3
Scott Schmerelson
213-241-8333

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District 4
Steven Zimmer (Board Chair)
213-241-6387

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District 5
Dr. Ref Rodriguez
213-241-5555

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District 6
Monica Ratliff
213-241-6388

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District 7
Dr. Richard Vladovic
213-241-6385

 

Green Dot, AMU, as well as many other local community organizations are part of a larger coalition led by the ACLU who has been fighting to end this policy in LA schools.

 

Support our efforts by also signing the ACLU petition on random metal detection in LA schools: https://action.aclu.org/secure/students-not-suspects

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There is a strength in numbers! Please spread this within your networks on social media.

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And above all, stay connected and stay informed. Together, we will accomplish more.

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