Seattle Police Department Out of Seattle Public Schools!

On June 10th, 2020 the Seattle Public Schools Board announced the district will temporarily cut ties with the Seattle Police Department for one year in response to widespread demands from students, teachers, parents, and community members.

“Students want Seattle Public Schools (SPS) to end their partnership with the Seattle Police Department. The students have five preliminary demands they posted on Instagram:

Hold police accountable for abusive behavior toward black students
Eliminate the presence of police in all schools
Implement restorative justice and de-escalation tactics in all schools
Urge school districts to fire all staff members with racist/ anti-black reports
End racist police violence. Defund police.

These demands, including the phrase “defund police,” which has been rippling across the U.S., call into question how the city’s monetary resources are distributed. The city of Seattle has allocated $409,538,851 for police expenditures in 2020. In comparison, the annual budget allots $105,261,978 for education and early learning; SPS is not supported by city funds”