Bill seeks to limit school police in discipline matters | California Watch

Bill seeks to limit school police in discipline matters | California Watch:

Bill seeks to limit school police in discipline matters

by Ben Wieder

Susan Ferriss and Ben Wieder

Vanessa Romo/KPCC.org Students protest last year in Los Angeles against school police tickets issued heavily at middle schools, low-income schools. 

As the national debate grows louder over deploying police in schools, the largest state in the union ­– California – is considering a bill that would require schools to set “clear guidelines” defining the role of school police and limit their involvement in disciplinary matters.
The Golden State joins Texas and Connecticut ­­­– home of the December Newtown school shootings – in considering legislation that would set limits on how schools involve police officers in discipline. Colorado adopted limits last year.
The proposals come amid burgeoning concern nationally over harsh school punishment policies, and police involvement in seemingly routine discipline. Police presence on campuses nationwide has grown steadily since two teens went on a killing spree at Columbine High School outside Denver in 1999. But a growing group of juvenile-justice researchers and judges argue that putting students into conflict with officers over minor