⁍ Police officers assigned to schools wear a uniform, carry guns and get specialized training.

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⁍ Critics say armed police on campus often results in Black students being disproportionately arrested and punished.

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⁍ Madison, Wisconsin, joined Minneapolis, Phoenix, Denver and Portland, Oregon, in abandoning partnerships with police on campuses.

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– The group of protesters started out small, just a handful of students who told officials at school board meetings why they wanted police out of Madison, Wisconsin, schools. Over four years, their numbers grew but not their results. So they took to yelling from the audience and making emotional pleas about how police make students, especially those of color, feel unsafe. But officers remained at four high schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District until George Floyd’s death by Minneapolis police ushered in a national reckoning over police brutality and racial injustice. That’s when the school board president, who had long resisted removing police, had a change of heart. Madison quickly joined cities like Minneapolis, Phoenix, Denver, and Portland, Oregon, in abandoning partnerships with police on campuses, the AP reports. The move may seem sudden, but it follows years of well-organized, student-driven action. Only now, more grown-ups are listening. Critics say having armed police on campus often results in Black students being disproportionately arrested and punished, leading to what they call the schools-to-prison pipeline. Supporters say police make schools safer and that having someone trained to deal with young people is more effective than having random officers respond to large fights and other problems. At the Madison school board protests, “we would basically go up there, be nice, and when you would look up, when you were talking, they would be looking down at their phone or their computer. So that made us even more frustrated,” says Shyra Adams, 20, who graduated from high school and is now a youth justice coordinator.