Last week, the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy released its Reimagining School Safety Report in advance of a discussion regarding Evanston Township High School (ETHS)'s School Resource Officer Program.
The discussion will take place tonight at ETHS' School Board meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m.
The report reimagines school safety at ETHS by terminating its Intergovernmental Agreement with the City that assigns on-campus School Resource Officers (SROs) and building an infrastructure of support and restoration for each student at ETHS.
In the report, the Moran Center presents relevant national research that calls into question SRO programs based on school safety, academic, and social-emotional metrics. The report also recaps key findings from recently reported SRO and arrest data at ETHS, illustrating the disparate racial impact of ETHS's SRO program.
The report outlines concerns regarding ETHS’s over-reliance on punitive discipline policies and highlights three specific policies that disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities, pushing these students into the school-to-prison pipeline.
Ultimately, says the Moran Center, the Reimagining School Safety report presents proven alternative models for building a safer, more restorative, and racially equitable school community at ETHS.
“It is our hope that this report will both inform the community about the harmful impact of SROs and certain discipline policies at ETHS, as well as communicate our vision for reimagining school safety by prioritizing restorative justice, trauma-informed practices, and robust mental health services,” Moran Center Executive Director Patrick Keenan-Devlin said.
The Reimagining School Safety report has already been shared with the ETHS School Board, members of ETHS’s administration, and ETHS’s Discipline Committee and SRO Subcommittee. The Moran Center has had staff members serve on both committees.
For more information about the Moran Center and to read the report, visit its website.
The report can be found here.
Board meetings are streamed live (except July and August meetings that are held in the morning) on the ETHS Wildkits YouTube Live Stream channel, or on Evanston Comcast (Xfinity) Cable Channel 18. Live streaming is only available during the board meetings. Board meetings are rebroadcast on Evanston Comcast Cable Channel 18 on Wednesday and Sunday evenings at 7:30pm.