CTCAV demands Education Justice by canceling the LASD contract that places deputies on AV campuses. SRDs often harass, threaten, and arrest students, fueling the school-to-prison pipeline—disproportionately targeting students of color and those with disabilities. A recent Inspector General report found that 88% of SRD contacts with Black students result in arrests.

On May 24, 2023, Neighborhood Legal Services of LA County and the Equal Justice Society, alongside Cancel the Contract-Antelope Valley, students, and parents, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against AVUHSD for discriminatory practices. The lawsuit alleges violations of federal and state laws, including the Civil Rights Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and California codes. AVUHSD’s data shows a pattern of disproportionately suspending, expelling, and exposing Black students and students with disabilities to law enforcement, violating their rights to equitable education.

Filing An Administrative Complaint CA Department Of Education

The lawsuit followed several attempts to engage with AVUHSD over these issues, including filing an administrative complaint with the California Department of Education and sending a letter outlining these concerns to the Board of Trustees of AVUHSD and the District Superintendent, as detailed below. 

In 2022, represented by Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA) and other legal partners, CTCAV filed two legal complaints against AVUHSD with the California Department of Education (CDE), for misuse of state Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) funds meant for high needs students to instead fund SRDs, and for its Special Education Program which is racist, segregated, and ableist.

March 28, 2022 Complaint

Various Compliance Complaint and Request for Direct State Intervention to Investigate Disability Discrimination against Antelope Valley Union High School District. This Complaint alleges the District violates Title II of the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), by among other policies, using threat assessments that fail to consider disability, reporting students to Probation for disability-related behaviors and for using their accommodations, denying students with disabilities an opportunity to participate in and benefit from educational services and nonacademic and extracurricular activities, including meals, passing periods, athletics, rallies and clubs. The District also violates multiple provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that guarantees special education and related services to children with disabilities, as well as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, along with multiple California Education Codes (California Education Code Sections 56000 et seq., 200 and 220, and 11135).  

February 9, 2022 Uniform Complaint

Related to Violation of Legal Requirements for LCAP (Local Control and Accountability Plan) Spending – Filed an administrative complaint with the district superintendent detailing the district’s failure to comply with legal requirements governing school spending plans and demanding the district investigate budget discrepancies, adhere to state-mandated reporting requirements, and require each school to clearly demonstrate how these special funds are used to serve the high-needs students for whom they were allocated. 

CTC has also supported directly impacted families by helping secure legal representation and linkage to other resources.

What do we know About Law Enforcement In Schools

Schools throughout the country contract with or have their own law enforcement agencies for on campus services to improve school safety, and many use law enforcement strategies specifically to prevent school shootings. However, researchers find little to no evidence that armed guards and law enforcement in schools prevents on campus shootings. Studies show that law enforcement services have, at best, a limited impact and are not enough on their own to adequately make schools safe. They have also found evidence that a law enforcement presence on school campuses can have a negative impact on students. The risk of over-criminalization cannot be taken lightly: the probability of negative outcomes for a young person increases, even with a first-time arrest, including a decrease in the likelihood of staying in high school, among other concerning indications of educational achievement, health and well-being.

Stand Up For Student Justice

Our students deserve safe, supportive schools—not injustice and discrimination. Let’s fight together to end harmful practices and create a brighter future for ALL students.