As debate over police in Fresno schools nears critical vote, critics slam FUSD surveys
This story is part of The Pipeline, a series of stories written by The Fresno Bee’s Education Lab that explore mental health, students and their experience with law enforcement on campus.
Most Fresno Unified parents and staff want police officers on campuses and say they have had positive experiences with armed officers, according to the results of a recent survey on campus policing in the city’s public schools.
The report is the second formal survey conducted. The studies represent the district’s formal analysis of community input during the months-long debate over the use of police officers on Fresno school campuses.
“Findings from analysis of the survey data revealed that most stakeholders have positive experiences with (campus police) and indicated that (campus police) presence on school campuses was important,” the analysis said. “The majority of parents and staff opposed removing (police) from schools while two-thirds of parents, who reported direct experiences with (police), had positive experiences.”
Police reform advocates have been pushing for cuts in school police funding as FUSD board members weigh whether they want to renew the district’s contracts with the Fresno Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff’s office, and probation departments.
The $3.2 million in contracts with law enforcement expires in June when the board is expected to adopt its budget. On Oct. 7, the board postponed a vote on nearly $1 million in police funding. It was seen as a victory for local advocacy groups who’ve been pushing city schools to overhaul the district’s relationship with law enforcement. Supporters want the district to redirect police funding to beef up mental health services for students.
Based on The Bee’s Education Lab reporting, most board members have stated their support for having a police presence on campuses.
Despite the potential political setback, police critics have continued to push for reforms. A petition demanding FUSD divest in police had nearly 700 signatures late last week.
The most recent study was conducted through surveys sent out to all 71,194 Fresno Unified parents, all 9,014 staff members, and 30 campus police officers. There were 3,045 surveys completed by parents, 3,493 completed by staff, and 30 by campus police officers.
Researchers also conducted nine focus groups with parents, staff, and police. A “purposeful” sample of 30,000 parents with children in middle and high school were poled, the report said, and it included an “overrepresentation” of Black parents, as well as English, Spanish, and Hmong-speaking parents. Out of those parents, 42 participated in focus groups in early March.
The report, done in collaboration with Fresno State, follows a report that FUSD released in late February that the university also participated in. The survey results focused on student voices and signaled political momentum for keeping police in Fresno Unified schools.
Police reform advocates have also “rejected” both studies put out by FUSD and Fresno State, citing flawed methodologies and lack of representation of students who have had interactions with police officers.
Breaking down the data
Out of about 3,000 parents who responded to the survey, about 21% had direct interactions with police while on school campuses. Out of about the 3,500 staff members and administrators that responded, about 41% also had interactions with officers.
About 48% of the parents surveyed were Latino or Hispanic, about 33% were white, nearly 6% were Asian American, about 4% were Black, and about 8% identified as biracial or multiracial. About 31% of staff surveyed were Latino or Hispanic, about 39% were white, about 8%identified as biracial or multiracial, and about 5% were Asian American and Black.
Nearly 69% of parents and almost 99% of staffers said they think interactions with police officers supported a better learning environment, according to the study. About 74% of parents and 83% of staff and administrators support keeping police on campuses.
About 76% of parents and about 80% of staff members either strongly agree or agree having police officers on campuses makes schools safer, the data shows. About 52% of parents and about 61% of staffers either strongly agree or agree campus police should carry guns.
Most parents and staff surveyed said they either strongly disagree or disagree that having police on campuses creates barriers between students and police - about 52% of parents and 66% of staff.
About 56% of parents and about 73% of staff either strongly disagreed or disagreed that having police on campuses makes students, parents, and staff more fearful.
Most parents and staff either strongly agreed or agreed that campus police should issue citations and make arrests - about 69% of parents and about 73% of staff members.
‘We reject both of these reports’
Fresno Barrios Unidos has been the leading advocate to remove all police officers from Fresno Unified campuses. Marisa Moraza, the youth advocacy leadership manager for the nonprofit, said these reports didn’t change their stance and said the studies “highlight pro-police bias.”
“It is very clear the funding and resources that went into these reports … could have been used for resources for students who have been impacted by policing that has caused harm,” Moraza told The Bee’s Education Lab. “We reject both of these reports.”
Christine Mitchell, a senior research associate at Human Impact Partners, a national nonprofit, was also critical of the report. She said the sample size the report was based on was dramatically smaller than the parent, student, and staff population.
Michell said the report should be taken “with a grain of salt” because the survey’s sample size was too small to reach a “generalized conclusion from that data.”
There was also an overrepresentation of white parents (about 33%), Mitchell said, especially since the white student population was only about 9% in the 2019-20 school year, according to data from the California Department of Education.
Mitchell also noted the report could’ve recognized some biases.
“For instance, they had 100% of (campus police) respond to the survey, but they don’t acknowledge their jobs are actually at stake,” Mitchell said.
Moraza said they want the district to take the roughly $3 million spent last year on police and put that money into mental-health-related student programs. In addition, she said, the district needs to create a safety plan that lays out the policies about when it’s appropriate and legally required for police officers to be on campuses.
While FUSD officials haven’t ruled out the possibility of moving funds around, they have noted the district already earmarked more than $42 million for mental health-related services this school year.
Supporters of removing police from school sites also point to Fresno Police Department data that shows Black students were disproportionately arrested in 2019. That year, Black students made up about 7% of the FUSD student population. However, Black students accounted for about 25% of all school-related arrests.
But critics say eliminating law enforcement funding in schools would jeopardize student and teacher safety.
Lindsay Sanders, chief of Equity & Access at Fresno Unified School District, said there is a correlation between high suspension rates and police referrals.
“There needs to be a way to address this, and the data doesn’t lie,” Sanders said. “There are disproportionate outcomes for students nationally and locally.”
Sanders said while the decision to maintain or cut ties with police rests with the board, she said figuring out how to keep kids in school is the more significant problem.
“The issue is how do we change the outcomes for students because they are missing class because they are suspended, suspended at higher rates, or, in some cases, suspended for reasons that other peers are not suspended because of racial bias. There is no simple answer for that.”
The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.
This story was originally published May 10, 2021 at 5:00 AM.