Please attend and support this important legislation proposed by the Center for Children’s Advocacy.

Judiciary Committee hearing at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb 24, Room 2B, Legislative Office Bldg,  Hartford

SB 54 - An Act Concerning Collaboration between Boards of Education and Law Enforcement Personnel

Interested in testifying in support of SB 54? Contact Marisa Halm ([log in to unmask])

What problems does this Act address?

Many schools have police stationed in them without any formal guidelines governing daily interactions.

o Schools and police need guidance on how to manage day to day operations.

o Rather than promoting safety in schools, police presence often leads to the

unnecessary criminalization of students.

Because of police presence in schools, Connecticut children, especially children of color, end up in the juvenile justice system.

o Many arrests of students at school occur for non-violent, non-dangerous

offenses, such as breach of peace or disorderly conduct, conduct that likely could

have been managed within the school’s own disciplinary system.

o Students of color are more likely to be arrested at school.

o Once arrested, this student is much more likely to reoffend

Arresting children at school harms both children and communities.

o Keeping children in school is crucial to improving their long-term opportunities.

Students who feel connected to school are less likely to use illegal substances,

become pregnant, attempt suicide or engage in violent behavior.

What would passing this Act accomplish?

Promote and facilitate collaboration and communication between schools and the

police (school resource officers or SROs) stationed within them.

Require the creation of formal written memorandums of agreement (MOAs) and/or

policies detailing the roles and responsibilities of police stationed in schools.

o Similar agreements have been used nationally and in Connecticut (e.g.

Bridgeport, Hartford, Manchester, Stamford, Willimantic, Windsor and others) to

reduce inappropriate arrests. (For example, Hartford has experienced a 44%

reduction and Bridgeport a 31% reduction in school based arrests from the

2011-12 to the 2012-13 school years as a result of these agreements.)

o Agreements would require the use of graduated response models to ensure

student and police interactions are handled in a consistent manner.

Provide communities with better data about school-based arrests of students in each

school through the well-known format of the strategic school profiles. This data will help

Connecticut communities keep kids in school and out of the juvenile justice system.

This act is supported by:

AFCAMP

Connecticut Court Support Services Division, Judicial Branch

Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance

Connecticut Legal Services

Connecticut State Department of Education

Connecticut Voices for Children

Connecticut Youth Services Association

Office of the Public Defender

Keep the Promise Coalition, Children’s Committee