The District of Columbia has decided in a vote to end the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) management of the security services contract for DC Public Schools (DCPS), which will now be directly in charge.
The DC City Council unanimously voted the change following Wednesday’s proposal by At-large Councilmember David Grosso.
“In the wake of police killings of unarmed Black Americans, the District of Columbia, along with the rest of the nation, is re-examining the role of police in all aspects of our lives, including in our children’s schools,” Grosso said.
“The safety of our students is a priority but our current staffing of schools indicates that we are more interested in policing our students than we are in ensuring their academic success or supporting their mental and behavioral health. After discussions with many school leaders and students, I believe our students’ safety can better be provided for by DCPS–whose primary mission is the academic success and social-emotional development of our young people–without MPD’s involvement.”
The Committee has unanimously approved the budget report:
🍎 maintains 3% per-student funding increase
🚫 ends MPD's mgmt of DCPS security contract
💵 provides the public w/greater transparency in the use of public edu $& more: https://t.co/WcPQTPwVNi
— David Grosso (@cmdgrosso) June 25, 2020
According to Grosso, there has been confusion about funding for both DCPS and charter schools over the past few years, which caused questions from the public about annual school funding cuts, as well as calls for more transparency from both sectors.
The Council’s decision terminates DCPS’s $23 million annual agreement with MPD that enables the police to manage hundreds of security guards hired by a private company.