Today, the #LAUSD Board of Education is expected to discuss three resolutions related to the district's school police department – including one to reduce its funding first by 50, then 75, and eventually 90%.

Here's the livestream: http://lausd.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=18

I'm a reporter covering this #LAUSD board meeting & I'll try to livetweet comments, actions, & context here.

I'll also be on @KPCC & @LAist later to sum up what happens.

If you have information you think I should know as I report on this now and in the future, my DMs are open.

Right now, we are in the public comment portion of the #LAUSD board meeting.

Because of #coronavirus and social distancing, this meeting is being held with most board members participating via ZOOM.

Here are the details about public comment:

(And one quick reminder about public comment because this part always throws me off, even after all this time: board members don't respond to public comments as they are made)

Most of the comments so far have been in support of @Monica4LA's resolution, which calls for greatly reducing funds for school police.

Comment 19 was from a LA School Police officer who's concerned about this & the way LA School Police have been represented in this conversation.

We are 1 hour in to the public comment portion of today's #LAUSD board meeting.

At this point: about 40 comments heard so far, about 150 on the line.

The #LAUSD board heard about 90 minutes of public comments over the phone – a total of 56 callers, I believe.

Now we're hearing comments shared in person in the #LAUSD board room.

A view of the gathering outside of the #LAUSD board room, as shared on Twitter by @ladailynews reporter @AriPlachta: https://twitter.com/AriPlachta/status/1275460895548665856

The majority of comments given at the beginning of this #LAUSD board meeting supported defunding LA school police. Now, some in person comments in a row are expressing support of @DrGeorgeMcKenna's resolution to form a committee. Some wearing shirts that say "I LASPD" on them.

There have been a lot of @LASchoolPolice officers in a row providing public comment at today's #LAUSD board meeting and sharing why they joined the department.

Something I've noticed during these first 4 hours of the #LAUSD board meeting:

Lots of comments on both @Monica4LA's resolution (to reduce school police funding) and @DrGeorgeMcKenna's (to form a committee). Not much discussion of @Jackie4LAkids's resolution, also about LASPD.

~ 5 hours into the #LAUSD board meeting, public comment is over.

Here's what's coming up next, according to @richardvladovic:
• Updates from labor partners
• Superintendent @AustinLASchools' report
• Item 27: Student Bill of Rights
• 15 min break
• The rest of the meeting

Superintendent @AustinLASchools is giving his report/update to the #LAUSD board now.

Said he'll reserve comments on school police until later in the meeting.

In her last #LAUSD board meeting, student board member Frances Suavillo is now introducing Agenda Item 27: the Los Angeles Unified School District Student Bill of Rights.

Here's a screenshot of the resolution as it appeared in the agenda:

We are ~6.5 hours (!!!) into today's #LAUSD board meeting.

The board has recessed for 20 min.

When the #LAUSD board returns, they'll go through the rest of the agenda.

When it's time to talk about school police, @richardvladovic says @Jackie4LAkids, @DrGeorgeMcKenna, @Monica4LA, & @AustinLASchools will each get 10 min to explain their resolution/position & answer q's.

4:07 pm: The #LAUSD board of education has returned from recess.

You can watch along here: http://lausd.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=18

The #LAUSD board members are now going down the agenda.

I'm not going to tweet every individual motion/vote, since I'm focusing on the resolutions related to school police specifically today.

Here's the agenda: http://laschoolboard.org/sites/default/files/06-23-20RegBdOBPost.pdf

The #LAUSD Board of Education is going to skip Item 15 for now and come back to it.

Item 15 is the LAUSD budget.

It's almost time for the #LAUSD Board of Education to discuss the budget and the resolutions related to school police.

So if you're interested in the discussions related to those items, it's time to head back to the livestream: http://lausd.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=18

It's now time for the #LAUSD Board of Education to discuss the 3 resolutions related to school police.

Superintendent @AustinLASchools will speak first.

@Jackie4LAkids, @DrGeorgeMcKenna, & @Monica4LA will each get 10 minutes to explain their different resolutions & answer ?s.

Superintendent @AustinLASchools is making comments to the #LAUSD board now that are very similar to his update on Monday.

Text of Monday remarks here: https://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/110/Austin%20Beutner_June%2022%20Update%20to%20the%20School%20Community_Transcript.pdf
Vid of those remarks here: https://twitter.com/LASchools/status/1275204054243659778

Superintendent @AustinLASchools introduces Dr. Alfonzo Webb to explains how the #LAUSD task force looking at school police will work.

More about that task force from the district: https://achieve.lausd.net/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=4&ModuleInstanceID=4466&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=89888&PageID=1

(There's a bit of debate about *how* the #LAUSD board members should introduce and discuss the three motions since they all address school police, but each a bit differently)

. @Jackie4LAkids explains her motion first. Says she heard all of the comments made today & this conversation is overdue.

"My resolution proposes some immediate changes to school police, but it also gives a group of stakeholders and experts time to develop a more detailed plan."

. @Jackie4LAkids was moved by comments today.

"Maybe we should make some immediate cuts of things that are not salary related & then, let's take a look at what else needs to be cut, if anything. Whether we need a police department. If we do, what size to do what, or not at all."

Now @DrGeorgeMcKenna addresses the #LAUSD board. His resolution as written calls for an ad-hoc committee looking closely at school police practices.

"I do know we do not know everything we need to know," he says.

"I think school police are being unfairly demonized," he adds.

"Are we saying that we don't have enough money for police or we just offended because they exist," @DrGeorgeMcKenna asks.

He concludes his remarks: "We need to be careful of what we're saying about the negativity about police, and separate school police from municipal police."

. @Monica4LA is addressing her fellow #LAUSD board members now.

"Today, I'm going to suggest that in general, we do try to do the best we can. And I'm going to suggest that in June 2020, I have been moved to decide that that is not enough."

"We need to do more of community building and community investing," #LAUSD board member @Monica4LA explains. "And my resolution directs the dollars and the transition away from a police department to another safety strategy."

. @Monica4LA says she was moved by district students & parents.

"I have seen this organization interrupt structural racism & poverty & I have seen us perpetuate it & for that I hold myself accountable. I ask you to join me in holding yourselves accountable."

Reads parent letter.

. @Jackie4LAkids moves her motion with amendments from @nickmelvoin & @Kelly4LASchools. Gonez seconds it. Discussion begins.

Melvoin: "We have to affirm in our actions and policies that Black lives matter."

"It should not have taken George Floyd's recorded lynching & the ensuing massive uprising of people to bring this board to consider its own role & options for supporting Black lives," @nickmelvoin says.

Adds "racism in our schools does not rest solely on backs of school police"

. @nickmelvoin says that he still has "doubts that zeroing our police force out entirely is the appropriate response without further discussion."

But he also believes that "more task forces usually means less action."

. @nickmelvoin explains his amendments, including "an immediate $20 million reduction in the [school police] budget." @ScottAtLAUSD asks about feasibility of that, reminds school police have a contract. @AustinLASchools says there are some vacancies, maybe a reduction in services.

. @LASchoolPolice Chief Todd Chamberlain is addressing #LAUSD board members now. Says he welcomes review from an outside group.

"We still have victims of violence on our campuses. We still have people every day – students who every day come to school, and they become victims."

"Society doesn't stay stagnant. Systems should not stay stagnant. We should be a fluid living organization," says @LASchoolPolice Chief Todd Chamberlain says as he wraps up his remarks to the #LAUSD board.

Now, @Kelly4LASchools:

"I want to see real change to our current practices so that our schools are supportive environments for all students, including & especially our Black students. I believe that there are concrete steps that we can take now, today, to improve our climates."

. @Kelly4LASchools wants school police budget reduced "in a meaningful way" & says @Jackie4LAkids's resolution does that. Adds: "I do not believe that we can commit to eliminating the school police at this moment unless we have an alternative plan" to address school safety issues.

. @richardvladovic shares with the #LAUSD board that he thinks "we ought to study first, as @DrGeorgeMcKenna says. Put a timeline on it so this doesn't drift forever."

"I understand people are concerned about school police but school police are not municipal police," he adds.

"I would regret for the rest of my life if I left any student vulnerable, any student in danger, that we didn't have the money to respond to an incident, to a bomb threat," @richardvladovic shares w/ #LAUSD board. Also brings up incidents that happened when he was a principal.

(deleted and re-posting a tweet that tagged the wrong Twitter account. apologies! long meeting, many people).

. @ScottAtLAUSD asked if he could substitute (I *think* that's the right word for this) @DrGeorgeMcKenna's resolution in for @Jackie4LAUSD's.

Recap: McKenna's resolution would form committee to look closely at school police. Goldberg's had similar group + some reforms + $20M cut.

A bit of disagreement expressed now in the #LAUSD board meeting.

Just tuning in? This meeting started at 9 am. It's 8 pm now.

There are important questions on the agenda, like: Should LAUSD greatly reduce funding to its school police dept?

Livestream: http://lausd.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=18

It doesn't seem like any of these three #LAUSD board resolutions about school police have enough votes to pass.

There are 7 voting members, so a resolution would need 4 votes to pass.

Now there's confusion about what the vote and motion in front of the #LAUSD board is.

So here are the votes that just happened at the #LAUSD board meeting:

There was a motion to replace @Jackie4LAkids's with @DrGeorgeMcKenna's. It failed.

Then @Jackie4LAkids's resolution as amended & @DrGeorgeMcKenna's resolution both failed.

Breakdown of votes in next tweet.

On @Jackie4LAkids's resolution:
• @Monica4LA: NO
• @Jackie4LAkids: YES
• @Kelly4LASchools: YES
• @DrGeorgeMcKenna: NO
• @nickmelvoin: pass, then YES
• @ScottAtLAUSD: NO
• @richardvladovic: NO

#LAUSD board meeting livestream, still in progress: http://lausd.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=18

On @DrGeorgeMcKenna's resolution:
• @Monica4LA: NO
• @Jackie4LAkids: NO
• @Kelly4LASchools: NO
• @DrGeorgeMcKenna: YES
• @nickmelvoin: NO
• @ScottAtLAUSD: YES
• @richardvladovic: YES

It fails, as does @Jackie4LAkids's resolution in the tweet above.

On @Monica4LA's resolution to greatly reduce funding to LA School Police, here's how the #LAUSD board voted:
• @Monica4LA: YES
• @Jackie4LAkids: NO
• @Kelly4LASchools: abstains
• @DrGeorgeMcKenna: NO
• @nickmelvoin: YES
• @ScottAtLAUSD: NO
• @richardvladovic: NO

It fails.

To recap: all three resolutions related to school police considered today by the #LAUSD Board of Education failed.

The board also decided to move discussion about the district budget to next week's meeting.

This meeting, which started at 9 am, adjourned at 8:42 pm.

Thanks for following along! As I mentioned before, I'm a reporter at @KPCC + @LAist & I'll be on @KPCC tomorrow talking about what did & didn't happen at today's #LAUSD meeting.

If you have experiences or info you want to share, my DMs are open or you can email [email protected].

(I didn't include #LAUSD student board member Frances Suavillo's votes in my first tweets because there were some technical difficulties recording them when the votes were being taken, but for the record: Suavillo did vote YES on @Monica4LA's resolution to greatly reduce LASPD $)

I'll gather reactions and share them with you on air (89.3 FM @KPCC) + online ( @LAist) tomorrow.

For now, good night everyone! Thanks for following along. Stay safe and healthy. Tweet with you soon!