SB 1095, An Act Concerning School Resource Officers

The ACLU-CT believes that in order to reduce the harm that policing is causing communities of color across the state, Connecticut must reduce the role, responsibilities, and presence of police. This means, at minimum, diverting funds from policing to building safe and healthy communities. School resource officers are police, just as much as any other law enforcement staff across the state, and their in-school policing has much of the same effects on school communities as municipal and state policing have on the broader community. Police presence in schools is a key link in the school-to-prison pipeline. Senate Bill 1095 would expand the definition of school resource officers to include school counselors, social workers, psychologists, aides or other staff members with the appropriate training. Real public safety means access to mental healthcare, affordable housing, income, proper childcare, opportunities for young people, and safe recreational spaces.