Home > 2022 Election Platform > Children & Youth
Children & Youth Policy Recommendations
education I child welfare I children’s behavioral health I
YOUTH FINANCIAL SUPPORT
1. Education
a. RECOMMENDATION: Removal of School Resource Officers from K-12 campuses
Many school districts across Santa Clara County have formal relationships with local law enforcement jurisdictions to provide school resource officers that are stationed on campus throughout the school day. The stated purpose of these officers is to promote a safe school climate. That argument is not supported by data. In the aftermath of the social justice protest of 2020 resulting from George Floyd’s murder, a nationwide effort was started to end these formal relationships between school districts and law enforcement agencies. Several school districts in Santa Clara County took action to end, or significantly modify, their relationships with LEAs. We would like to see action at the city, county, and state level to end any remaining formal relationships and prevent them from recommending.
b. RECOMMENDATION: Improve academic outcomes for students with special needs
Students with special needs, including those identified as eligible for special education, continue to often experience poor academic outcomes. Studies show that students with disabilities perform three times worse than their non-disabled peers. This achievement gap was exacerbated by COVID, given the difficulties in providing in-person support that is vital to successful implementation of an Individualized Education Plan or similar plan for services. While most of the planning to support special needs students will take place at the school district level, elected officials can support districts and the County Office of Education in their work to close the gap. Concrete steps can include support for specialized resources, such as tutoring, and continuing work to close the technology divide that impacts student performance.
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2. Child Welfare
a. RECOMMENDATION: Develop and implement an action plan to reduce the disproportionate representation of Black and Latinx families in the child welfare system. Black and Latinx families continue to be disproportionately represented at all levels of the child welfare system. This includes reports of suspected child abuse, substantiated referrals, and entry into the juvenile dependency courts. Reducing disproportionality will require a coordinated approach across all sectors that correlate to child welfare involvement, including the discharge of mandated reporting responsibilities, assessments of child risk and safety, and the roles played by juvenile dependency court stakeholders. We ask elected officials to work closely with sectors representing child welfare, education, and other relevant areas to draft a comprehensive action plan with the goal of expediently reducing the disproportionate representation of Black and Latinx families
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3. Children’s Behavioral Health
a. RECOMMENDATION: Support improvement in children’s access to behavioral health services
Efforts are underway within the county to improve children’s access to mental health services, particularly at school sites. Elected officials must prioritize these efforts, both with appropriate allocation of financial resources and elimination of any procedural barriers that impede implementation. Work should be done to develop private-public partnerships to leverage financial resources to achieve this goal. Continued support and expansion of screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences will also be critical.
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4. Youth Financial Support
a. RECOMMENDATION: Support income stabilization efforts for vulnerable young adult populations
Santa Clara County has recently concluded the first year of a pilot project to support former foster youth with a guaranteed monthly income. Earlier this year, the state budget included funding to support a similar project statewide. Based on data taken from other jurisdictions that have implemented guaranteed income programs, these types of programs appear effective. We would like to see the current county program continue, as well as similar programs studied and implemented on behalf of other vulnerable youth populations, including young adults that experienced homelessness as children.