CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools has asked local school councils to vote on whether to keep — or remove — police on campuses. Groups have a Friday deadline.
Chicago’s school board narrowly voted against terminating a $33 million contract with the police last month. The district has said the board will revisit the vote later this month. Mayor Lori Lightfoot and schools chief Janice Jackson have both resisted efforts to make a wholesale decision, preferring to leave it to individual schools.
So far, 33 councils have decided to retain the police program, while 12 councils will remove police from schools.
Several councils voted without a quorum, which means the vote is considered advisory. According to district rules, in this case, the principal and the area network chief make the final decision. (At Kelvyn Park High School and Sullivan High School, the elected bodies made an advisory voted against police, but the principal has not yet announced a decision.)
Chalkbeat Chicago is tracking the votes. Here is how local school councils have voted so far:
Remove police officers
Washington High School voted 6-5 to remove student resource officers on Aug. 12.
Senn High School narrowly voted to remove police from schools after a four-hour meeting. On Aug. 11, the council voted 6-6 on a motion to retain police officers, with one member abstaining. The principal received clarification from a CPS representative, who said an abstaining vote acts as vote against SROs.
Roosevelt High School voted 6-3 to end the police program on Aug. 11. The principal, who once supported police officers, voted in favor of removing officers and said his opinion has shifted.
Uplift Community High School voted 8-1 against police in schools on Aug. 11.
Curie High School, one of the largest schools in Chicago, voted 7-4 to remove school resource officers on Aug. 11.
Mather High School voted 6-4 in favor of removing police officers on Aug. 11
Lane Tech College Prep High School, the largest school in Chicago, voted 9-3 to remove school resource officers on Aug. 11. Students and alumni held a rally last week to call for cops out of schools. A petition against the police has also garnered about 2,000 signatures.
Back of the Yards College Prep narrowly voted against police in schools. On Aug. 11, the council voted 6-5 against the SRO program.
Hancock College Prep High School voted 6-4 to remove police officers from schools on Aug. 6. Both police officers assigned to Hancock College Prep had over 50 complaints, students said at the vote.
Roberto Clemente High School voted 9-1 to remove school resource officers on July 27. Earlier this month, the council held an advisory vote against police, as well as two virtual forums to get community input.
Benito Juarez Community Academy, in Pilsen, voted 7-1 to remove police officers from the school. Three council members abstained from a vote. The council, along with students and staff, has said funding for school officers should be redirected to social workers, nurses, and restorative justice programs.
Northside College Prep was the first to definitively vote to remove officers, just days after a student demonstration at the school. The council voted 8-0 against the SRO program, with one council member abstaining. Both police officers stationed at Northside College in the past academic year have had a use of force allegation against them. c year have had a use of force allegation against them.
Keep police officers
Simeon Career Academy voted unanimously to keep SROs on Aug. 12. One member abstained their vote.
Lindblom Math and Science Academy, in Englewood, voted 7-4 to keep police in schools on Aug. 12. Two council members abstained from a vote. The council had voted in favor of the police program on Aug. 3.
Steinmetz High School voted unanimously in favor of keeping SROs on Aug. 12.
Whitney Young High School voted 8-5 to retain the SRO program on Aug. 12.
Westinghouse High School voted 6-4 in favor of school resource officers on Aug. 11.
Schurz High School voted unanimously in favor of school resource officers on Aug. 11.
North-Grand High School voted unanimously to keep police in schools on Aug. 11.
Jones College Prep voted 7-5 to keep police in schools on Aug. 11.
Prosser Career Academy voted 5-2 to retain school resource officers on Aug. 11. In a survey conducted ahead of the vote, 60.9% of respondents voted to keep SROs. The district sits across from the Chicago Police Department.
John F. Kennedy High School voted 7-1 to retain its SRO program on Aug. 10.
Wells Community Academy High School, in West Town, voted 5-4 in favor of police in schools on Aug. 10.
Bogan High School will keep school resource officers on its campus, the principal announced. The council unanimously voted in favor of SROs on Aug. 10, but did not have a quorum, meaning the final decision was left up to the principal.
Solorio Academy High School, in Gage Park, voted 7-1 in favor of school resource officers on Aug. 7. In a survey sent to community members ahead of the vote, a majority of student respondents were in favor of the police.
Richards High School voted 7-3 to retain school resource officers on Aug. 5
Gage Park High School voted 4-3 to keep officers in schools on Aug. 4. The following day, a Gage Park school security officer spoke out against police officers in schools, calling their presence traumatizing and a barrier to student success.
Farragut Career Academy, in Little Village, voted unanimously to keep school resource officers on July 30.
Taft High School voted unanimously to keep police in schools on July 28. At the council vote, Principal Mark Grishaber said Taft has reformed security protocols under his tenure.
Crane Medical Preparatory High School, in a narrow vote, will keep officers in schools. On July 28, the council voted 4-3 in favor of the SRO program, with one member abstaining.
Frederick Douglass Academy High School voted unanimously to keep police on its campus on July 23.
Morgan Park High School voted unanimously to keep school resource officers on July 23.
Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy voted unanimously to keep officers on July 20. Miracle Boyd, the 18-year-old girl punched by a Chicago police officer at a protest over the weekend, graduated from the school in June.
Michele Clark High School in Austin voted unanimously to keep SROs on July 16. Public comment was brief and no students spoke.
Kenwood Academy High School voted unanimously to retain police. All public comments at the council meeting spoke in favor of keeping the officers.
Marshall High School voted unanimously to keep the officers on July 14, though some observers raised questions about the reliability of the council’s voting process. A student at the Westside School was dragged down a flight of school stairs by CPD officers last year, a case that garnered national attention.
Corliss High School voted 8-1 to keep officers at its Pullman campus on July 14. Council members said officers stationed at the school had good relationships with students.
Air Force Academy High School voted unanimously to keep the SRO program on July 14.
Hubbard High School voted unanimously to retain school resource officers on July 14.
Thomas Kelly High School voted 6-4 to keep police in schools on July 13.
Harlan High School voted 4-0 in favor of the SRO program on July 9. Four council members abstained from a vote.
Chicago Vocational High School voted unanimously to keep police on its campus on July 7.
Hyde Park Academy High School voted unanimously to keep school resource officers on June 11. Just days after the vote, recent CPS graduates marched from the Hyde Park campus to Chicago Police Department’s 3rd District headquarters, calling on the mayor to withdraw police from schools.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory High School voted 6-3 to keep police officers in schools on June 11. One council member from a vote.
Amundsen High School voted 10-1 to retain the SRO program on June 8. The school does not plan to hold a second vote.
A handful of councils have delayed the decision over police in schools to get more community input. Chalkbeat Chicago and Block Club Chicago are tracking upcoming school council meetings with police on the agenda here.
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.