Keep Cops Out of Schools
tag 1 tag 2 tag 3
Cops are already in our libraries. Now they’re coming for schools.
They're not here to help. They're here to watch, to normalize surveillance and most of all, to get kids used to being policed.
Programs like “Creating with Cops” might look harmless, but they’re part of the school-to-prison pipeline. Cops build relationships with kids to blur the line between care and control.
We’ve seen what happens when police are given access to youth spaces:
No matter how many crayons or soccer balls they bring, police don’t belong in schools or libraries.
These spaces should be for learning, exploration, and care—not for surveillance, control and harm.
Keep cops out of youth spaces. Shut this shit down.
Police are in our libraries. Now they want back in our schools.
This is how the school-to-prison pipeline works in real time.
“Creating with Cops” Isn’t Harmless
Toronto Police are running “Creating with Cops” at Toronto public libraries. Did you know 53 Division runs free art workshops for kids at the Yonge Eglinton Centre? It looks innocent. It’s not. This is about softening police presence, building trust with kids, and normalizing surveillance in community spaces.What It’s Really Doing
These programs:This is calculated. This is how early policing children starts.
Doug Ford Wants Cops Back in Schools Too
The School Resource Officer (SRO) program was removed from Toronto schools in 2017 after massive community-led pushback. Students—especially Black and Indigenous—said they felt targeted and unsafe.Now Ford’s government is working to quietly bring cops back into schools across Ontario.
They’re rebuilding partnerships between school boards and police.
This Is the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Police in schools and libraries do not create safety. They create surveillance. They escalate and harm.Kids with disabilities are criminalized instead of supported.
Black and Indigenous students are suspended, expelled, and arrested at higher rates than their peers.
Behaviour becomes a police matter instead of a community or educational one.
The Data
TDSB (2016–18):
Black students = 11% of enrolment, but ~35% of suspensions.Students with disabilities = 17% of enrolment, but 58–60% of suspensions.
Students from households under $30K/year = 40% of suspensions in early grades.
Across North America:
Schools with predominantly Black or Latino student populations are 3x more likely to have police presence on school premises than those with predominantly white students.This isn’t accidental. It’s structural.
What We Actually Need
No more police in schools.No more police in libraries.
No more programs that treat surveillance like support.
Fund schools. Fund libraries. Fund youth. Not cops.
References
TDSB Discipline and Policing Data
Caring and Safe Schools Report 2017–18 (TDSB)Black students: 11% of enrollment, ~35% of suspensions
Students with special education needs: 17% of students, 58–60% of suspensions
Low-income (households under $30K/year): ~40% of suspensions in grades JK–6
Caring and Safe Schools Report 2021–22 (TDSB)
Confirms overrepresentation of Black and disabled students in suspensions
School Resource Officers (SROs) and Racial Disparities
Urban Institute (2023)Schools with mostly Black/Latino students are 3x more likely to have police than predominantly white schools
