“We Can’t Ignore the Legitimate Concerns … But”: How Technical Framing Limits School Police Reform Despite Racial Justice Demands

Purpose: This study aims to identify the technical barriers that Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) school board members highlighted in response to calls to defund school police following George Floyd's murder. Research Methods/Approach: The study focuses on LAUSD, which has one of the largest district-led police forces in the U.S. Data was collected from public board meeting video recordings where board members discussed the issue of funding for K-12 school police. Drawing on Welner's (2001) Zone of Mediation and frame theory, I identified the frames and technical factors highlighted by board members. Findings: The analysis revealed several technical challenges, including staffing shortages for new safety models, persistent external threats of violence, potential municipal police presence after the removal of school police, ideological values left unchanged by simply removing police, and insufficient current funding for alternative safety measures. These barriers revealed that board members, while acknowledging racial injustices, considered removing school police infeasible without first addressing technical constraints. Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice: Findings suggest significant investment in anti-racist professional development, student support personnel, and alternative safety measures is essential for effectively removing police from schools. For federal and state policymakers, this implies the need for significant funding to help school districts develop alternative school safety systems that move away from policing. I conceptualize these additional programs and personnel needs as an “abolitionist infrastructure,” recognizing that dismantling harmful policies like school policing requires substantial investment to address the educational debt created by systemic racism and white supremacy.