Students ticketed for misbehaving in Illinois schools, complaint alleges bias

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.

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.

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