Los Angeles schools defund school police for 'climate coaches'

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education approved a plan Tuesday to cut one-third of its police budget. The money will be diverted to fund new programs under the new Black Student Achievement Plan.

The board voted to cut 133 police officers from the Los Angeles School Police Department, replacing the School District’s police officers with "climate coaches."

According to the plan, the ‘climate coaches’ are trained to implement “positive school culture and climate,” use “de-escalation strategies” to resolve conflict, understand and address “implicit bias,” and eliminate “racial disproportionately” in school discipline practices,” the Epoch Times reported.

These cuts affect 70 sworn police officers and 62 non-sworn officers, ultimately reducing the districts police force budget from $77.5 million to $52.5 million.

The Los Angeles Unified School District announced the approval of the Black Student Achievement Plan in a news release Tuesday.

“The Board of Education today reorganized the Los Angeles School Police Department and cut $25 million from that budget to fund a Black Student Achievement Plan,” the news release stated.

“The Black Student Achievement Plan, which was developed in close collaboration with students and community organizers, demonstrates this Board’s commitment to Black students,” Board Member Jackie Goldberg said.

The news release emphasized the Los Angeles School District’s police department budget was cut to help black students feel safer, nothing that black students ‘feel targeted’ by police officers on campus.

“Needed services and supports are made possible by trimming the school police budget. I have heard the concerns of Black students who have felt targeted by school police,” Goldberg continued.

Another board member praised ‘Black Lives Matter’ for the school districts fight to ‘Fund Black Futures.’

“We came to agreement today in large part because of the advocacy and persistence of Students Deserve, the Brothers, Sons, Selves Coalition, Black Lives Matter – Los Angeles and other community partners who showed us how to center Black student voices and experiences in decisions about their future,” Board Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin said.

“I’m proud to be part of today’s historic decision and want to give a huge thank you to our students, educators and community partners for their passion, commitment and leadership throughout this entire process to #FundBlackFutures,” Ortiz Franklin continued.

Activists across the country, including Black Lives Matter and other woke leftist organizations, have been on a quest to ‘defund the police’ in their communities in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department.