In the East Bay, the Oakland Unified School District is looking to move into the second phase of a police-free school proposal that could cost millions of dollars to achieve.
The challenge in that is to make families and staff feel safe without police on campus, even as worries grow about safety.
Frustrated parents, such as Max Orozco, feel more needs to be done to ensure students can focus on learning rather than questioning their safety.
"We know if a child's mind is kept busy learning something that they are interested in, they will not be hitting the streets," Orozco said.
OUSD removed the Oakland School Police Department in 2020 in an effort to reduce concerns about criminalizing students. The next phase of their two-part plan - George Floyd Phase 2 Plan - involved a $57,715,357 proposal to increase crime prevention, intervention and restoration.
"I'm happy that we don't have police out there because they are not trained to deal with children, they are not trained to deal with teenagers," Orozco said. "Police are trained to work with criminals."
In the last three months, campuses across OUSD have experienced some high profile violence including a school shooting at Rudsdale High School, and two stabbings just weeks apart at two other schools.
NBC Bay Area spoke to a staff member at one of the affected schools and thinks the proposed safety investments are not enough.
"I don't think that is going to change," the staff member said. "At this point I think we need the officers there. Maybe to search them, I don't know."
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Sam Davis, OUSD Board of Education President, said situations like these are "a national problem."
"This spike in youth violence really is a result of the trauma our young people experience and that our cities have experienced as a result of the pandemic," he said.
By the end of May, all OUSD campuses will have upgraded security that will include alarms and lock systems, according to Davis. The district is also working to expand their partnerships with violence prevention teams on campus.
OUSD released the following statement in response:
"The safety of our school campuses and District properties is one of our top priorities. School and district leaders are always focused on making improvements wherever possible. We have been upgrading camera systems and remote front door access systems, ensuring all outside doors and gates are kept locked during school hours, and in some cases the District has added personnel to sites to help protect student and staff safety. We also work with our students to help them resolve conflicts that may arise peacefully through social emotional learning and restorative justice practices. We will continue to collaborate with our school communities and community and city partners to help solve the city's spike in violence. Together, we can make sure people are safe wherever they go in the city of Oakland."
While the multi-million dollar price tag for other changes is still up for discussion, Davis believes their efforts need to focus on education and strengthening relationships.
"We need to increase training so that every teacher is teacher in restorative justice practices," he said, "that makes a lot more eyes out there that know how to respond when something is going on."
