More Chicago school councils add police to the agenda

Local school councils across Chicago have less than a month to case a vote on whether to keep or remove school police officers. 

So far, two local school councils, representative bodies made up of parents, teachers and community members, have voted to remove school resource officers. (Follow our tracker here.)

Northside College Prep’s Local School Council in North Park voted 8-0 to remove its officers on campus this fall. 

Members of Roberto Clemente Community Academy’s Local School Council are leaning toward removing school officers — but before they make a final decision, they want to hear from the community. The group voted 8-3 in favor of eliminating school officers in a nonbinding “advisory” vote. 

Recent months have seen a growing youth-led movement in Chicago calling for an end to school police programs, buoyed by similar decisions in other cities spurred by nationwide protests against police violence against Black people.

Chicago’s board of education declined last month to remove police officers from all public schools after hours of emotional debate and public comment. The school board is expected to vote on whether to renew the $33 million school police contract later this summer. 

More than 70 schools will vote on the issue by August 14, per a mandate from the district. Chicago has 144 resource officers at schools, 48 mobile school officers, and 22 staff sergeants.

Here are the local school councils scheduled to meet this week: 

TUESDAY, JULY 21

Taft High School, Norwood Park - 6 p.m. Tuesday Watch it live here. Call-in here: 312-626-6799 Meeting ID: 890 5707 5062 PIN: 777562 

Ogden International School of Chicago (All 3 campuses) - 6:00 p.m. Tuesday Watch it live here. Meeting ID: 874 5716 9457 Passcode: 5yfJ33

THURSDAY, JULY 23

Manley Career Academy High School, East Garfield Park - 3 p.m. Thursday (Meeting link TBD) 

Do you know of a Local School Council meeting this week that isn’t on our list? Email stephanie@blockclubchi.org and ykunichoff@chalkbeat.org and we’ll add it to our list.