Students in an Illinois school district have been receiving tickets for misbehaving, with fines reaching hundreds of dollars per citation. A newly filed federal complaint alleges that Rockford Public Schools (RPS) engaged in discriminatory practices when disciplining Black students.
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The complaint, submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, claims that RPS unnecessarily referred students to School Resource Officers (SROs), for routine disciplinary matters. SROs are law enforcement officers with the Rockford Police Department. The matters included addressing minor behavioral issues that the complaint said parents, teachers and school leaders should handle, rather than law enforcement.
According to the filing, faculty refer Black students to SROs 3.2 times more frequently than their white peers. This disparity leads to poor academic performance, decreased connection and support with teachers and peers, and higher dropout rates among Black students. Additionally, Black students reported feeling less safe at school when police officers are present.
Unlike public school officials, SROs have the authority to issue tickets, some of which result in fines exceeding $750. If an officer does ticket a student, the student is forced to miss school and attend a hearing without appointed counsel.
The complaint asserts that this practice “has led to the criminalization of youthful behavior” and exposed families to debt. It accuses SROs of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by unlawfully targeting Black students.
Over the last six school years, more than 75% of tickets issued by Rockford SROs were to Black students, while only 2.7% went to white students. Rules that prevent Illinois public schools from fining students for behavioral issues are in place. However, ProPublica’s investigation from 2019-2021 found that Illinois public school students received nearly 12,000 tickets during that period.
[LAUREN TURNER]
STUDENTS AT AN ILLINOIS SCHOOL DISTRICT HAVE BEEN RECEIVING TICKETS FOR MISBEHAVING TO THE TUNE OF HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS PER CITATION.
NOW A NEWLY FILED FEDERAL COMPLAINT ACCUSES ROCKFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ILLINOIS OF USING DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES WHEN DISCIPLINING BLACK STUDENTS.
THE COMPLAINT FILED WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ALLEGES – ROCKFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS UNNECESSARILY REFERS STUDENTS TO SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS – WHO ARE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WITH THE ROCKFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT – FOR ROUTINE DISCIPLINARY MATTERS.
THIS INCLUDES ADDRESSING MINOR BEHAVIOR ISSUES THE COMPLAINT SAYS SHOULD BE DEALT WITH BY PARENTS, TEACHERS AND SCHOOL LEADERS RATHER THAN LAW ENFORCEMENT.
ACCORDING TO THE FILING, BLACK STUDENTS ARE 3.2 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE REFERRED TO S-R-OS THAN THEIR WHITE PEERS – LEADING TO POOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, FEELINGS OF DECREASED CONNECTION AND SUPPORT WITH TEACHERS AND PEERS, AND HIGHER RATES OF DROP OUT. BLACK STUDENTS ALSO REPORTING FEELING LESS SAFE AT SCHOOL WHEN POLICE ARE PRESENT.
UNLIKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, S-R-OS ALSO HAVE THE ABILITY TO ISSUE TICKETS. AND SOME OF THE CITATIONS HAVE RESULTED IN FINES FOR STUDENTS EXCEEDING $750.
AND IF AN OFFICER DOES TICKET A STUDENT – THE STUDENT IS FORCED TO MISS SCHOOL AND ATTEND A HEARING IN WHICH THEY DO NOT RECEIVE APPOINTED COUNSEL.
THE COMPLAINT SAYS THIS “HAS LED TO THE CRIMINALIZATION OF YOUTHFUL BEHAVIOR” AND EXPOSED FAMILIES TO DEBT – AND BLACK STUDENTS “BEAR THE BRUNT OF THIS HARM” AND ACCUSES S-R-OS OF VIOLATING TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT BY UNLAWFULLY TARGETING BLACK STUDENTS.
THE FILING ALSO SAID OVER THE LAST 6 SCHOOL YEARS, MORE THAN 75 PERCENT OF TICKETS ISSUED BY ROCKFORD S-R-OS WERE TO BLACK STUDENTS AND 2.7% OF TICKETS WERE GIVEN TO WHITE STUDENTS.
AND EVEN THOUGH ILLINOIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FINE STUDENTS FOR BEHAVIORAL ISSUES – IN 2022, PROPUBLICA INVESTIGATED AND FOUND THAT FROM 2019-2021, ILLINOIS PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS WERE GIVEN NEARLY 12-THOUSAND (11,800) TICKETS.
FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M LAUREN TURNER.
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