An Open Letter to Governor Whitmer from Michigan Youth

Joint statement from DAYUM and 482Forward

On Tuesday, January 17, 2023, Gov. Whitmer announced a $25 million fund to support hiring school resource officers in 195 schools. The Governor cited school safety as a main incentive for these grants, stating that, “Every parent wants their kids to be safe at school. These grants will help us hire almost 200 more School Resource Officers so we can make sure our children, teachers, and staff are safe at school.” As Michigan youth, we also believe we have a right to be safe, but we do not agree with the governor’s strategy for achieving it.

The governor should know, as we do, that a plethora of research shows the presence of school resource officers in schools does not reduce school crime or incidents of gun violence. SROs instead foster militarized learning environments, leading to increased suspensions, expulsions and arrests, which feed the school-to-prison pipeline and disproportionately harm students of color and students with disabilities. “Being criminalized does not make me feel safe.” said Mi’Kah, a 10th grader and DAYUM organizer. 

The mass shooting at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021 that killed Justin Shilling, Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, and Hana St. Juliana, and injured seven, others put school safety at the front of everyone’s minds. Oxford had an armed guard present on that day, who did not engage or stop the shooter from murdering his classmates. In fact, there’s some evidence that the presence of an armed guard can actually lead to an increase in the deadliness of an incident.  “Michigan youth unfortunately know from experience that school resource officers do not prevent these tragedies from occurring.” Said Madeline, an Oxford student, survivor of the shooting, and youth organizer. 

Janiala, a 9th grader and DAYUM youth organizer, recalled being searched by school resource officers just for being out of dress code, “They had us bend over and they tugged on our clothes. I felt confused and humiliated. I don’t understand how that is supposed to help me learn or keep me safe.”

482Forward youth organizers fought for months to get better funding for our mental health in schools. “We have said countless times that police in our schools negatively affect us and make us feel unsafe. Your response is to put more funding for police? This is ridiculous. We need more counselors, entertainment, better facilities and environments, and a safe place to be. We do NOT need more police." said 482 Youth Organizing Collective member Joselyn.

Time and time again our generation has watched as school resource officers and police brutalize, racially profile and target students. “We come to school to learn, not to be policed. The presence of school resource officers adds hostility to our halls and positions children closer to law enforcement, leaving us little room to make mistakes.” said 11th grader and DAYUM organizer Taylor.

NEA senior policy analyst Aaron Dorsey explained, “SROs are not perceived by students as contributing to keeping the school drug-free or improving school safety. Law enforcement creates more hostile environments, and when students perceive their schools to be hostile, they are less likely to be engaged in school and, in turn, demonstrate reduced achievement.”

Michigan students deserve real solutions. Data shows that every Michigan school counselor averaged 671 students in 2020, making us the second worst in the country for counselor-to-student ratio. The American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of 250 students for each counselor. We need faculty who we feel supported by and can confide in, not members of law enforcement that make us feel as if we are being criminalized before we walk in the door.

“We want Governor Whitmer to know that your school bully can become a cop, and now he's back in school picking on your children. Not cool." said Brianna, 482Forward Youth Organizing Collective member

“Three students from my high school lost their lives to mental illness in the last 2 years. Mental health services are critically underfunded, and Governor Whitmer needs to prioritize our lives over police surveillance.” said Rohit, a 10th grader and DAYUM member.

At a time when Michigan students are still reeling from the pandemic and the ensuing mental health crisis, we demand real mental health support, basic gun control laws, additional school counselors and adequate learning facilities. If Governor Whitmer actually wants to improve school safety, and protect our lives and the lives of future Michigan students, those should be her priorities, not $25 million to police us.