In 2019, Kamala Harris called for removing police officers from schools to address racial disparities in discipline, a stance that has reignited controversy as critics argue it could jeopardize school safety.
In 2019, during her first presidential campaign, then-Senator Kamala Harris called for removing police officers from schools to address racial disparities in student discipline. In a resurfaced interview, Harris emphasized the need to "demilitarize" schools and eliminate on-campus police, highlighting concerns over the disproportionate suspension and expulsion rates among Black and brown students, particularly boys.
Harris made these remarks at the Presidential Justice Forum at Benedict College in South Carolina, where she outlined her broader vision for criminal justice reform, including reducing juvenile incarceration and ending solitary confinement for minors.
Her stance sparked a backlash, with critics arguing it would compromise school safety. Donald Trump Jr. questioned her motives, while Parkland parent Andrew Pollack, whose daughter was killed in the 2018 school shooting, strongly opposed the idea, calling for more, not fewer, school resource officers. Others, like Richard Grenell and podcast host Cash Loren, accused Harris of being anti-police.
Harris's comments came amid a broader push within the Democratic Party to reform policing, which gained traction during the 2020 protests against police brutality. However, the defunding of police in several major cities led to a nationwide surge in crime, prompting some leaders and districts to backtrack on their earlier positions, including reinstating school resource officers in response to growing concerns over violence.
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