There are days when just a glance at the headlines would lead one to surmise that the world really is going crazy. Not only are we faced with all kinds of social disruptions, but the old ways of dealing with them are being discarded.
We read about fights, rioting, property damage, attacks on police and fire departments, houses of worship, schools, businesses and whatever is perceived as the “enemy of the week.”
That almost none of these are carried out for rational reasons isn’t even part of the social discussion We just look for who the aggrieved persons seem to be and lay the blame there. But not really blame, for there always seems to be a “reason” for their discontent. As a result they’re not only forgiven, the people responsible frequently aren’t even punished.
The violence is excused because of who the perpetrators are and what their background is determined to be. It has become a socially correct attitude toward keeping order – by allowing disorder to persist. It doesn’t make a lick of sense. It’s not the only nonsensical aspect of all this, however.
One of the more bizarre outcomes of this leniency toward street criminals and others is the demand on the part of many groups across the country to eliminate police departments. These people don’t like what the police have to do to keep order in our cities and towns, so they want departments reduced and, in some cases, eliminated. They ignore the fact that violence just gets worse; instead municipal governments continue to agree to so-called “social justice” demands.
This insanity has infected the schools as well, and a recent decision by the Los Angeles School Board is a perfect reflection of it. Last week, the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education announced they are instituting what they are calling a “sweeping overhaul of school security.”
What that means is that they voted to fire 133 Los Angeles School Police Department members and, as reported by the California Globe, replace them with “school climate coaches.”
Climate coaches? That’s what they say. They’ll be community members who will work with students to improve school receptivity and address racial bias. They didn’t explain just what that means either or how it would work.
Last year, $25 million was cut from the school police budget, and those funds, plus the money from this new cut in personnel, will go to the Black Student Achievement Plan. That’s a program to hire more social workers, counselors and professional development workers.
Want some more jargon? We’re told this plan will “introduce social justice and diversity into class curriculum and bring a focus on math classes.” (!?)
This move by the schools follows the decision by the city of Los Angeles to cut $150 million from the Los Angeles Police Department budget last year.
Supporters of the new plan were encouraged by the fact that the Oakland, California, school district voted to completely eliminate school police as did many other cities across the country.
Contrary to the move, surveys showed that fully half of LAUSD parents and students preferred to have police on campus – saying that it insured measures of safety!
Board member George McKenna was blunt: “The parents expect us to have safe schools. And if you think the police are the problem, I think you got a problem yourself.”
The school police were largely against the decision as well. Chief Leslie Ramirez warned that the reduction could bring a safety liability to the school police department. He said that the department already has plans in progress to support students and limit on-campus uniform presence.
He continued, “We feel the proposed policy language has potential liabilities, lacks clarity, and will result in unintended consequences impacting the safety of students and staff.”
It should be noted that the school police were not part of the decision-making relative to the new policy.
School Board President Kelly Gomez said she was pleased that the decision was made with Board and parental support – even though, as I noted, more than half of the students and their parents are in favor of having police in the schools.
As Pilate said, “What is Truth?”
Many teachers were outspoken against the plan – one of whom wrote to the newspaper: “They’re jeopardizing students lives by doing this. This is horrifying.
“Some is good, like more counselors. But removing police: Especially when some schools have a lot of crimes around them. It’s not great to say the least.”
One thing not mentioned in the report about the decision is the kind of crimes that occur in the schools. I have not seen any reporting of the nature of the crimes police have to deal with in the schools – from elementary through high school. It leads me to suspect that those who want police removed don’t want the reality of the level and danger of the school crimes made public.
The other part of this that wasn’t reported: Who came up with the idea that having “climate coaches” instead of police will solve the school crime problem?
What exactly is a “climate coach”? Help me! But then, it is California, after all – where logic is almost never part of the equation.
Follow Barbara Simpson on Facebook.
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].
This article was originally published by the WND News Center.
