Obama Administration Pushes to Limit Police in Schools

The Obama administration is pushing school districts to ensure that school discipline is being handled by trained educators, not by law enforcement officers – the most recent in a series of efforts to curb the school-to-prison pipeline.

The Department of Education and Department of Justice on Thursday sent letters to states and school districts emphasizing the importance of well-designed training programs for school resource officers – law enforcement officials who work inside schools.

“We must ensure that school discipline is being handled by trained educators, not by law enforcement officers,” said Secretary of Education John King on a press call Wednesday. “Some schools are simply turning misbehaving students over to SROs. This can set students on a path to dropping out or even to prison.”

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-09-08/obama-administration-pushes-to-limit-police-in-schools