3: The Continuum of Policing

What was the original call for police-free schools?

The call for police-free schools is grounded in a broader transformative vision: dismantling policing infrastructure, culture, and practices within educational spaces, ending school militarization and surveillance, and building a new liberatory education system. This framing makes clear that the goal is not only the removal of police, but the creation of fundamentally different systems rooted in equity, care, and collective well-being.

What did this co-optation look like?

Co-optation occurred when the call for police-free schools was reduced to simply removing police-in-school programs or equated with the absence of police officers. Some educational spaces claimed to be “police-free” without engaging in deeper structural change, while others that never had police programs assumed they had already achieved this goal. This reframing strips away the broader intent of transformation and ignores the ongoing work required to address systemic harm.

What is the police-free schools complex?

The “police-free schools complex” refers to a recurring pattern where institutions legitimize themselves based solely on the removal or absence of police-in-school programs, while leaving underlying systems of harm intact. This approach allows harmful practices and structures to continue, even without a formal police presence. The shift toward the term “policing-free schools” responds to this by emphasizing that policing operates in multiple ways—through policies, practices, and cultural norms—and must be addressed in all its forms, not just through the removal of officers.

What is the “school-prison nexus”?

The school-prison nexus describes the deep, interconnected relationship between educational systems and systems of punishment. Rather than a simple pathway, it reflects a web of institutions, policies, and practices that work together to exclude, control, and marginalize, particularly Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities. This framework highlights how schools and carceral systems are historically and structurally linked, reinforcing one another through shared logics and practices.

Why should we use the “nexus” metaphor and not the “pipeline”?

The “pipeline” metaphor suggests a single, linear path, which oversimplifies how harm operates. In contrast, the “nexus” captures the complexity and interconnectedness of multiple systems—such as education, family policing, and immigration systems—that interact and reinforce one another. This broader framework makes visible the many entry points and overlapping structures that contribute to harm, which would otherwise be overlooked.

What else is part of the continuum of policing in schools?

Policing in schools extends far beyond the presence of police officers. It exists across a continuum that includes disciplinary practices like suspensions, expulsions, and detentions; surveillance technologies; discriminatory dress and hair codes; policing of gender expression and sexuality; restrictions on bodily autonomy; academic streaming; standardized testing; and even corporal punishment. These practices reflect how policing and carceral approaches are embedded in everyday school operations.

What does “carceral logics” mean?

Carceral logics refer to normalized ways of thinking and acting that are shaped by ideas of punishment, exclusion, control, and disposability. These logics often operate invisibly, influencing policies, behaviours, and beliefs in ways that justify and sustain systems like policing and incarceration. Recognizing carceral logics makes it possible to understand how harm is reproduced in educational spaces, even in the absence of direct police presence.