L.A. Moves To Arrest Fewer Misbehaving Students

Los Angeles public schools are planning to reduce police response to student infractions.

The Los Angeles Unified School District is the second largest in the country, after New York, but it has the largest police force. Last year, it issued more than 1,300 citations — many for fighting or for being caught with alcohol, cigarettes or small amounts of marijuana.

In the future, these infractions will be dealt with differently. Students will instead be referred to counseling and other services.

The change is the culmination of a long fight by judges, government officials, advocates and attorneys.

Judge Michael Nash is the presiding judge of the Los Angeles Juvenile Courts. He has been a juvenile court judge for 25 years. He speaks to Here & Now's Meghna Chakrabarti.

Meghna also speaks with Ruth Cusick, an education rights lawyer for Public Counsel, a national non-profit law firm.