In support of AB2441 to Reduce Police Referrals in K-12 Schools

The following letter was sent to Assemblymember Chris Holden, expressing our support for this important bill. You can follow its progress here.

May 24, 2024 

Assemblymember Chris Holden

Capitol Office

1021 O Street, Suite 5650

Sacramento, CA 95814 

RE: AB 2441 (Kalra) – SUPPORT

Dear Assemblymember Holden, 

Collaborate PASadena is eager to express its enthusiastic support for AB 2441 (Kalra), which will eliminate outdated and harmful state mandates requiring schools to notify law enforcement about student behavioral issues. This bill will empower schools and educators to adopt non-punitive, supportive, trauma-informed, and health-based solutions for addressing student behavioral issues. Increasing educators' discretion in determining when to notify law enforcement about a student’s school-related behaviors will ensure that our schools prioritize student well-being over punishment. AB 2441 will protect students from unnecessary contact with the legal system, keep our students in school, and allow our educators to focus on teaching rather than criminalizing students.

Collaborate PASadena is a supportive framework comprising individuals, organizations, and businesses in the western San Gabriel Valley dedicated to enhancing the lives of children and families. Our vision is for every child in Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre to grow up in a safe, stable, and supportive environment, equipping them for success in both school and life. AB 2441 promises to further our endeavors by aiding in the elimination of disparities in outcomes for children, thus reducing structural racism and systemic inequities.

The research is unequivocal: young people experience enduring harm when subjected to even minimal contact with the juvenile or criminal legal systems. Students who are arrested in school are less likely to graduate high school and more likely to become trapped in cycles of incarceration and poverty. Alarmingly, these outcomes are even more concerning when impacted by various intersecting factors, including race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, and disability status. Black, Latine, LGBTQIA, Indigenous, as well as students with disabilities, are disproportionately referred to law enforcement, cited, and arrested, exacerbating existing disparities and injustices.

However, existing state law affords educators little discretion to consider these impacts. Instead, teachers, school administrators, and staff are required to notify law enforcement of student behavioral transgressions under penalty of criminal prosecution, even if they believe such action may be harmful. With limited avenues for addressing student behavioral issues, educators find themselves constrained and unable to implement best practices or explore innovative, personalized strategies.

AB 2441 is an invaluable and necessary measure to disrupt this cycle, making commonsense changes to existing law that place the well-being of our students and educators at the forefront. Firstly, AB 2441 will eliminate harmful zero-tolerance mandates for school notification of law enforcement, thereby empowering schools to prioritize student mental health and explore restorative measures that promote healing and correction, rather than harm and criminalization. This shift from punitive to corrective measures has been shown to promote campus safety, foster community building, and enhance student mental health.

Moreover, the bill will protect educators by eliminating the prosecution of school staff who fail to report incidents of alleged assaults or physical threats against school employees. Simultaneously, it will also eliminate the criminal penalty for students for the "willful disturbance" of public schools and public school meetings. By decriminalizing our schools, this bill keeps students focused on the classroom and educators focused on their students, helping to dismantle a draconian system that perpetuates the school-to-prison pipeline.

This bill confronts a major systemic inequity harming our schools and impeding successful student outcomes. It aims to transform education into a collaborative, community-responsive experience that is deeply invested in the health and well-being of all its stakeholders. For these reasons, Collaborate PASadena strongly supports AB 2441.

Sincerely,

Geoff Albert 

Executive Director, Collaborate PASadena