A state senator wants to increase law enforcement agencies’ presence in local schools, prompting local advocacy groups to protest the proposed bill.

Drafted by Sen. Susan Rubio, D-West Covina, Senate Bill 19 sets to punish people who make threats at schools or places of worship and would expand California Penal Code 422, which prohibits criminal threats more broadly. Advocacy groups believe the bill will harm Black and brown students instead and widen the issue of the school-to-prison pipeline.

“As a teacher with 20 years in the classroom, I’ve seen firsthand how threats against schools disrupt learning, traumatize students, and leave families fearing for their children’s safety,” Rubio said in a March press release. “No parent should have to wonder if their child is safe at school. No f

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