Illustration black ink on bright yellow background or two adults on their knees at head and feet of small child pinning him face-down to the ground

Advocates fear Minnesota students will again be subject to restraint used on George Floyd

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When they voted earlier this year to let police officers use a dangerous form of restraint on students in schools, Minnesota Democratic lawmakers said they did so because they had brokered a compromise. A task force made up of law enforcement agencies, disability advocates and others would create a model policy aimed at minimizing the use of prone restraint — the face-down hold Minneapolis police officers used to immobilize George Floyd as he suffocated.

Police Ticketing Students Civil Rights case: Illustration close-up of policeperson in uniform standing in front of student sitting at desk while handing student a ticket

An Illinois school district’s reliance on police to ticket students is discriminatory, civil rights complaint says

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Illinois law bans schools from fining students. But police routinely issue tickets to children for minor misbehavior at school, burdening families with financial penalties. Two national civil rights groups accused Illinois’ third-largest school district of relying on police to handle school discipline, unlawfully targeting Black students with tickets, arrests and other discipline. In a 25-page complaint against Rockford Public Schools, filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the National Center for Youth Law and the MacArthur Justice Center said that Rockford police officers have been “addressing minor behaviors that should be handled as an educational matter by parents, teachers, and school leaders — and not as a law enforcement matter by police officers.” The complaint adds: “Black students bear the brunt of this harm.”

school police debate: school security guard looks out over cafeteria full of students

A Wisconsin district debates the effects of terminating school police

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Madison is one of about 49 public school districts nationwide that, according to Education Week, have trimmed or eliminated school policing programs since 2020. While some districts that removed police officers have reported largely positive results, in Madison, some students, parents and educators are considering what they believe they’ve lost.