Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee school committee moves forward plan to narrow police role in schools
How police operate in Milwaukee schools appears set to change.
A Milwaukee School Board committee passed on Jan. 20 a resolution aimed at narrowing the types of situations that police officers can become involved in at district buildings. It comes 10 months after the program was brought into the city’s public schools, following a state law that forced the hand of officials.
The resolution compels Superintendent Brenda Cassellius to implement a district policy that reflects its asks, which broadly restricts police from intervening in non-criminal situations that more closely reflect school discipline issues, like rude or disruptive behavior or loitering in hallways.
A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of the first three months of the program found police were at times responding to situations like that, along with others including fights between students. School resource officers issued 92 citations during that time.
“Without clear and strict guardrails, it’s easy for SROs to become the default response to all behavior challenges,” Missy Zombor, president of the board, said during remarks at the meeting.
The School Board’s Committee on Legislation, Rules and Policies moved the resolution forward to the full board for final passage on Jan. 22.
Under the resolution, police would be expected to stay out of the following situations: Rude or disruptive behavior, excessive noise, loitering in hallways or bathrooms, dress code violations, use of profane or lewd language, and possession of legal items prohibited by school policies.
It also would put into place reporting requirements for the program. That includes quarterly reports breaking down incidents by demographic information, issuances of citations and specific actions by school resource officers, including searches, seizures and restraints.
Before the meeting, a demonstration consisting of about 35 students and community members took place outside of the district office. In support of the resolution, they chanted mottos like “counselors not cops” and “up with education, down with intimidation.”
Many there later spoke in support of the resolution during the public comment of the committee meeting. That spanned over an hour with each speaker in support of the resolution.
Many students described feeling unsafe with officers in the schools and criticized the state law that mandated the program.
Students Brenette Tunney, Elijah Shorts and Anneliese Schultz told the Journal Sentinel they were in support of the resolution. Each is a member of Youth Empowered in the Struggle, a student group that advocated for the resolution.
Tunney, a student at Hamilton High School, described her school becoming a “scary place” since the program began.
“I’ve never seen them do something actually helpful in school at all,” she told the Journal Sentinel before the meeting.
Those comments come as police and some school officials have lauded the program publicly, saying it made the district safer and said officers have tried to be mentors or counselors to students.
Members of Voces de la Frontera, Milwaukee Turners and Black Leaders Organizing for Communities spoke in support of the resolution.
Krissie Fung worked with students to prepare for giving comments on the program and Zombor on crafting the resolution. She is a member of the Fire and Police Commission, the city’s oversight committee for the two department.
Fung said the resolution was about letting students “coexist with SROs in schools as safely as possible.”
“In my opinion, current gaps in policy and lack of transparency for students and parents are a liability,” Fung said.
The committee meeting came hours after hundreds of Milwaukee students walked out of class in protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com.