05-25-2013, 03:44 PM
Nearly two dozen black residents, students and community leaders Wednesday night protested the Palm Beach County School Board’s decision to explore a county Sheriff’s Office takeover of the school police force, claiming deputies would “criminalize” students by throwing them in jail.
“The school police officers are trained to assist students. The sheriff is trained to arrest,” said LaTanzia Jackson, chairwoman of the Coalition of Black Student Achievement. “If you want to run a prison, go sit on Ric Bradshaw’s board.”
The school board voted 4-3 last week, with board members Frank Barbieri and Marcia Andrews and Vice Chairwoman Debra Robinson dissenting, to ask Bradshaw, sheriff since 2005, for a merger proposal.
The sheriff’s office has not formally received a request from the district and will not comment until it does, said Teri Barbera, sheriff’s spokeswoman.
Community groups have long worked with the district to revamp discipline and suspension policies after reports documented high rates of suspensions among black male students, Jackson and NAACP West Palm Beach Chapter President Lia Gaines said.
Residents argued that deputies would set those efforts back because they would be more likely to arrest students who act out than to help them, giving children criminal records that could haunt them for the rest of their lives.
“You’re killing our kids early on,” said Anthony Bell, a parent.
The Rev. Gerald Kisner, the pastor at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, argued that a special-needs student might get shot if he or she were to act out and jump on a deputy not trained to deal with students.
Hakim Hudson, a parent, claimed his life had been hampered by a felony conviction and he didn’t want his two sons to face the same fate if they were arrested by a deputy in school.
Zipporah Gamble, an 11-year-old student at Don Estridge High Tech Middle School in Boca Raton,said the district should focus on hiring more guidance counselors rather than bringing in deputies.
Gaines called reaching out to Bradshaw a “knee-jerk reaction” to the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting that killed 26 people in Connecticut.
School Police Chief Lawrence Leon, who took over the department this year, said he was disappointed in the decision to pursue a merger. He questioned why board members didn’t do so after longtime chief Jim Kelly retired instead of waiting until after they brought him in as chief. Leon said his officers do many things working with students that are not part of regular law enforcement.
Bradshaw rescinded a merger proposal two years ago after Kelly estimated it would cost more to go with the Sheriff’s Office.
“The school police officers are trained to assist students. The sheriff is trained to arrest,” said LaTanzia Jackson, chairwoman of the Coalition of Black Student Achievement. “If you want to run a prison, go sit on Ric Bradshaw’s board.”
The school board voted 4-3 last week, with board members Frank Barbieri and Marcia Andrews and Vice Chairwoman Debra Robinson dissenting, to ask Bradshaw, sheriff since 2005, for a merger proposal.
The sheriff’s office has not formally received a request from the district and will not comment until it does, said Teri Barbera, sheriff’s spokeswoman.
Community groups have long worked with the district to revamp discipline and suspension policies after reports documented high rates of suspensions among black male students, Jackson and NAACP West Palm Beach Chapter President Lia Gaines said.
Residents argued that deputies would set those efforts back because they would be more likely to arrest students who act out than to help them, giving children criminal records that could haunt them for the rest of their lives.
“You’re killing our kids early on,” said Anthony Bell, a parent.
The Rev. Gerald Kisner, the pastor at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, argued that a special-needs student might get shot if he or she were to act out and jump on a deputy not trained to deal with students.
Hakim Hudson, a parent, claimed his life had been hampered by a felony conviction and he didn’t want his two sons to face the same fate if they were arrested by a deputy in school.
Zipporah Gamble, an 11-year-old student at Don Estridge High Tech Middle School in Boca Raton,said the district should focus on hiring more guidance counselors rather than bringing in deputies.
Gaines called reaching out to Bradshaw a “knee-jerk reaction” to the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting that killed 26 people in Connecticut.
School Police Chief Lawrence Leon, who took over the department this year, said he was disappointed in the decision to pursue a merger. He questioned why board members didn’t do so after longtime chief Jim Kelly retired instead of waiting until after they brought him in as chief. Leon said his officers do many things working with students that are not part of regular law enforcement.
Bradshaw rescinded a merger proposal two years ago after Kelly estimated it would cost more to go with the Sheriff’s Office.