Commentary: Stereotyping our schoolkids

ON TUESDAY, students and staff at Kensington Urban Teaching Academy were placed on complete lockdown by the Philadelphia Police Department for over 90 minutes because of the reckless and irresponsible behavior of a school police officer.

We at Youth United for Change, as well as other community groups concerned about the state of public education in the city, have consistently and publicly expressed our frustration at the school district's increasing reliance on police presence to "improve climate" in our schools (through a model of "neighborhood pacification"). Many of us have argued that this model deepens the process of criminalizing our youth and regarding them as threats and nuisances to the system.

As already reported by several media outlets, a Kensington Urban school officer reported to school police that his personal weapon was missing from its holster in his automobile. According to a police spokeswoman, Officer Christine O'Brien, the officer reported that he did not lock his vehicle upon arriving on school premises. He was unsure whether he had locked the vehicle, with his personal weapon inside, the night before. He had not checked whether his personal weapon was in his vehicle before reporting for duty that morning. He reported it was stolen, but had not taken the basic precautions to assess when this had happened.

Once on lockdown, the police frisked every single student and staff member in the school building, and went through all of their belongings searching for the officer's missing weapon. They did not find a weapon.

While we understand that school administrators and police must address a safety hazard of this kind and were relieved no one in the community was hurt, we must continue to focus on the conditions that led to the mistreatment of students. Kensington Urban students and staff were again held as guilty until proven innocent.

When schools do not address behavioral and climate issues with preventative and restorative practices, they rely on the police to use traditional intimidation tactics to control behavior. When an officer makes a careless mistake, these empty methods are all that are left to attempt to create a general sense of safety. When students are not appropriately supported throughout the school year, they will always be suspects when a safety hazard arises. Students were not being kept safe by the lockdown; they were presumed guilty and searched.

This was further highlighted by the fact that parents were not notified of the lockdown until after noon. Their children were locked in classrooms for over 90 minutes, without an understanding that their lives might have been in danger, and no effort was made to notify their parents. While it is possible that school staff on lockdown were in no position to contact parents immediately, this is the logical result of a school system that does not place parent involvement as a central component of school accountability.

If we are seriously committed to the idea that all students should have safe and supportive school climates, we must implement a new model that shifts the paradigm away from a need for school police officers, and toward strong relationships rooted in accountability, and opportunities for parents, students and teachers to actively take part in the shaping and governance of their schools.

Rapheal Randall

Executive Director

Youth United for Change