Exclusive | LA school police union backs parents push for more campus cops as bullying soars

Parents and police officials are urging Los Angeles schools to restore greatly reduced staffing levels of on-campus cops who were replaced by “climate coaches” — as new figures show reports of physical bullying have more than doubled.The union representing Los Angeles School Police officers has thrown its weight behind furious parents’ demands to reinstate full-time cops on all campuses following the death of Xavier Nungaray-Martinez, 17, who jumped from a fourth-floor balcony at Franklin High School in Highland Park after a classroom fight caught on video.The calls come five years after the LA Unified School District slashed $25 million from its school police budget — axing 133 positions, or 28% of the force — and redirecting money toward a $36.5 million Black Student Achievement Plan that included hiring “climate coaches” to help manage student behavior.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story The LAUSD still has 262 sworn school officers, but they are assigned to patrol groups of schools, rather than stationed on individual campuses.The district’s controversial February 2021 decision to reduce the staffing followed a campaign by activist groups, including Black Lives Matter and the California Association of Black School Educators, demanding an end to what they called the “criminalization and over-policing” of black students.“Recent tragedies involving violence, self-harm and weapons on and around school campuses underscore the urgent need to strengthen — not diminish — our school safety resources,” Anthony Stafford, president of the Los Angeles School Police Management Association, told the California Post.“We understand why parents are calling for greater police presence.Every family deserves the peace of mind that their child will ...