Despite 100 kids being shot at or near a Chicago school in the past five years, the Chicago Board of Education voted Thursday to terminate its contract with the police and remove all uniformed officers from its schools.
“In joining the ranks of around 70 school districts nationally that have adopted policies to remove police from schools … the board’s vote resolved a long-running debate on whether police should be allowed in Chicago schools and made good on a 2020 district commitment to phase out their use,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
Racial grievance mongers had long championed the removal of police from Chicago’s violent schools on the grounds that the officers were purposefully targeting black students.
“Data on school-based arrests released by the district in 2020 showed the overwhelming majority — 73% — involved Black students, who were only 36% of students,” the Tribune laments.
Watch below as local students complain about the officers making them feel “unsafe”:
Chicago
Earlier Today, Chicago Children Protested to Remove Police From Schools, because they felt “unsafe”
The Board of Education JUST voted and they will now be removing dozens of uniformed police officers from 39 Chicago high schools. ♂️
Who wants to bet Crime goes… pic.twitter.com/MME9IPV5Yi
— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) February 22, 2024
Pushback against the plan to end the contract came partly from several aldermen “who said their communities had disproportionately higher youth violence” and were thus certain “schools in their wards need uniformed police,” according to the Tribune.
“It is imperative we don’t do away with the entire system because it works in some districts,” Ald. Monique Scott said, adding that principals in her ward frequently complain to her about student behavioral problems.
A number of aldermen also penned a letter to the Chicago Sun-Times defending the use of cops in school.
“Many parents and school leaders see the benefits, including having police available immediately when there’s an incident and regular coordination with the Chicago Police Department on what’s happening in the community. Not to mention many CPD officers in schools have strong and positive relationships with students, serving as coaches and mentors as well,” they wrote.
The aldermen also slammed the Chicago Board of Education for “fulfilling political agendas instead of doing the work that keeps our city moving and working.”
“The Board of Education’s … decision to remove police from our schools prescribes a blanket approach that strips families of a say in their children’s education and safety with widespread ramifications,” they wrote.
From @CSTopinion:
“CPS leadership wants to remove police officers from providing security in our schools, even though some administrators and parents prefer police presence.” https://t.co/JOP70WXpPZ
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) February 21, 2024
The resolution passed by the Board of Education also calls on Chicago Public Schools to pursue a “holistic approach” toward student safety — one that “addresses root causes and contributing factors.”
It’s the exact same sort of approach the Biden administration has unsuccessfully applied to the now-porous border that millions of criminal illegal aliens have crossed in recent years.
It’s only now — after years of studying the “root causes” of the border crisis and in the face of highly damaging polls — that the administration is considering actually doing anything substantive about the problem.
The only good news regarding the decision in Chicago is that the city isn’t throwing EVERYTHING out with the bathwater.
“We want to be clear that many schools will still employ physical safety personnel like security guards at points of entry, and crossing guards and Safe Passage workers to ensure students can get to and from school safely,” the board said in the letter obtained by local station WFLD.
“Some schools will also continue to use physical security tools such as security cameras or metal detectors. Furthermore, each school will still maintain a relationship with their local Chicago Police Department ‘School Sergeant,’ a position assigned to each police district to provide safety support to schools,” they added.
Still, even with these measures, many critics suspect this whole plan will backfire on the Board of Education:
This won’t end well
— This too shall pass (@coolname77) February 23, 2024
Now we know who to hold accountable for this bad decision.
— Julia (@Jules31415) February 23, 2024
What a terrible decision that will obviously harm students. Another example of how Illinois hates kids.
— Jenny George (@proudkidanddog1) February 23, 2024
They just won’t stop will they?
What\when will be the turning\realization point that they discover how much damage they are actually doing?!
— WannaBeHocker (@wannabehocker) February 23, 2024
So, the city with some of the strictest gun laws, & weekly shootings is taking the protection out of their schools ? Sounds about right. Next school shooting coming soon!
— Richelle (@richellebird77) February 23, 2024
The board’s decision comes following a report by local station WLS revealing that over 100 children were shot “at or nearr schools” in the past five years.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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