Some students say ‘no’ to putting police officers back in MPS schools | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
March 26, 2024
In June, the Wisconsin State Legislature enacted 2023 Wisconsin Act 12, requiring, among other things, the placement of at least 25 full-time police officers in MPS buildings.
The exact cost to MPS has not been made public. But in May, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction provided an initial estimate of roughly $1 million in annual costs to MPS, assuming costs are equally shared between MPS and the Milwaukee Police Department, or MPD.
This estimate does not include other costs required by Act 12, such as the mandate for schools to report data about crimes and incidents at schools.
Opponents of police in schools point to a body of research that shows this practice disproportionately affects students of color and contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline, among other consequences.
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Current and former MPS students say this money should be spent on other crucial needs, including improvements to infrastructure, more security guards and better access to medical and mental health care for students.
The enactment of Act 12 comes after successful efforts, in 2016 and 2020, to remove officers from inside MPS buildings and then from patrolling around MPS buildings and events, respectively.
NNS spoke to participants in Milwaukee Succeeds’ Youth Forward Milwaukee ambassador program, who also are either current or former MPS students.
Milwaukee Succeeds is an organization that works to improve education for children and youths of all ages.
The Youth Forward Milwaukee coalition grew out of this effort and works to improve the educational experiences of Black male youths, helping them achieve more equitable outcomes, such as improved graduation rates.
NNS spoke with ambassadors Cree Ellzey, Amaya Bauldwin and Tailus Rush.
Ellzey, 16, is a junior at Rufus King International High School; Bauldwin, 18, graduated from Milwaukee School of Languages in 2023; and Rush, 19, graduated from Milwaukee High School of the Arts in 2022.
Here’s what three youth leaders say they would do with a million dollars.
Devin Blake is the criminal justice reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. His position is funded by the Public Welfare Foundation, which plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.