Resources
Here are some organizations, movement leaders, and research that inform our work.
Race to Equity Report
The Wisconsin Council on Children & Families published its Race to Equity Report in 2013. The report outlined extreme racial disparities in Dane County. Some news coverage here.
Annie E. Casey Report
This report found that "Wisconsin’s African-American children not only fare worse than African- American kids elsewhere [i.e., worst in the nation] but they also suffer extreme inequities when compared to white kids in Wisconsin." News coverage here.
FFJ's Resource Guide to Talking to Kids about Police, Prisons & Abolition
Supporting caregivers to raise children who are brave, informed and thoughtful about race.
Raising Race Conscious Children
Resources for talking about race with young children.
Children Are Not Colorblind: How Young Children Learn About Race by Erin N. Winkler, Ph.D.
White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America, by Margaret A. Haberman
FREEDOM INC.'S POLICE-FREE SCHOOLS FAQ
In February 2020, Freedom Inc. and the Safe Schools Coalition developed an FAQ based on feedback gathered from concerned youth, parents, teachers, and community members on the campaign got police-free schools. Find that FAQ here.
In 2016-17, Families For Justice reviewed the annual and weekly reports of the Educational Resource Officers working in the Madison Metropolitan School District's four high schools.
FFJ's Review founD:
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At least four arrests involving Black people for every one white person.
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“Nothing to report” – On at least 50 workdays last year, school cops reported that there was nothing to report from their labor that day.
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Immediate, onsite response? – Cops were physically present when incidents occurred less than 1/3 of the time.
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Citing and arresting students for incidents that do not take place at school – Less than 50% of incidents school cops report occur on school grounds.
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Heightened attention on students of color for “relationship-building,” despite federal mandates to reduce disproportionate contact of youth of color with the justice system.
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Classroom presentations by armed and uniformed cops on legal issues, cyber-bullying and social media, “institutional racism,” and professional uses of English skills.
OUR handouts/research
What Do Madison Schools Get for Investing $360,000 Per Year in Police?
Cops Paid For By Schools: Just the Facts
MMSD School-Paid Cops' Annual Reports, 2013-2016
MMSD School-Paid Cops' Weekly Reports, selected months, 2015-2016
National perspectives on cops in schools
Police in Schools Are Not the Answer to School Shootings
A joint issue brief from the Advancement Project, Alliance for Educational Justice, Dignity in Schools Campaign, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
Dignity in Schools "Counselors Not Cops"
ACLU's Bullies in Blue: Origins & Consequences of School Policing