ACLU urges Missouri schools to drop resource officers

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri is urging school districts to remove police officers from schools.

St. Louis Public Radio reports that the ACLU has circulated a letter to nine school administrators so far, mostly in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas. The ACLU says money spent on school resource officers should instead go to the social-emotional needs of children, such as by hiring more social workers and counselors.

The ACLU cites research that shows strict disciplinary practices in schools often target black males and set those children up for negative interactions with law enforcement and incarceration later on.

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