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Access is Everything - Post RHPA Virginia - What\u27s Next? The Case for RHEA and Other Matters
Get PDFVirginia has taken positive forward steps to liberalize its abortion legislation,
bringing it closer in line with medical science and common sense. However,
accessing abortion care remains difficult for many, and additional legislative
measures are necessary to make the full range of reproductive
healthcare accessible for all, regardless of immigration status, race, gender,
income, or geography. The Reproductive Equity Healthcare Act, a bill modeled
in part on its Oregon namesake, is the next logical step forward towards
making reproductive justice a reality for all Virginians. While the details of
the final bill may vary, there are fundamental pillars that reproductive rights,
health and justice advocates agree are essential and fundamental to the goals
of the Bill. This paper lays out the pragmatic case for adopting the Reproductive
Health Equity Act
Disrupting the School-To-Prison Pipeline: Reforming the Role of the School Resource Officer
Get PDFA School Resource Officer (“SRO”) is a law enforcement officer employed
by local law enforcement agencies to provide security to public schools. As
a result of fatal and highly publicized school shootings such as Columbine
and Parkland, SROs have become a fixed aspect of many school communities.
There are tens of thousands of SROs patrolling the halls of Virginia’s
public elementary and secondary schools every year. Despite their intended
purpose to keep students safe and prevent crime, SROs too often contribute
to the school-to-prison pipeline. When SROs are brought into the classroom
to address “disruptive” behaviors, students are at an increased risk of being
pushed out of school and into the criminal justice system. Overreliance on
SROs and referrals to law enforcement to handle disruptive classroom behavior,
arguably typical adolescent behavior, affects all students and risks
their exposure to the school-to-prison pipeline. There has long been demands
to remove police from school, and this movement was reignited in the summer
of 2020 in the wake of mass protests against law enforcement. Many localities,
including several in Virginia, decided unanimously to end their contracts
with law enforcement, though thousands of SROs remain stationed in
schools across the country. This paper proposes several reforms to the role
of the SRO to reduce the risk that a student’s encounter with an SRO will
introduce them into the school-to-prison pipeline. Suggested reformations include
prohibiting SROs from carrying weapons; revising policies to limit
SRO involvement in routine disciplinary matters; and ensuring appropriate
training to create positive interactions between students and their SROs