Elijah Dale was only twelve when he was arrested at his San Francisco middle school. His mother says the charges of robbing a classmate were dropped, but her son's experience is not unique.
According to the organization Coleman Advocates, between 2010 and 2013, 460 students were arrested at San Francisco schools, the vast majority for non-violent offenses. Now a new agreement between the school district and the police department spells out procedures when cops come on campus.
The agreement also spells out when it's appropriate for schools to call officers for help.
"You put handcuffs on anybody an adult or a child, it'll have an impact," SFUSD Superintendent Richard Carranza said. "We're in the business of educating youngsters."
An earlier agreement between the district and police was put in place after a 2002 clash at Thurgood Marshall High School that began with a fight between students. Police Chief Greg Suhr says the new policy being voted on has input from kids, not just adults.
"It was very important to the kids, so i think it's important we demonstrate it's important to us," Suhr said.
This agreement is set to expire in five years.
