Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge David Borowski has imposed a $1,000-a-day fine on the City of Milwaukee until it can show it is putting forth enough effort to bring school resource officers to Milwaukee Public Schools.
The ruling came during a hearing Thursday, the latest proceeding in a lawsuit against the city and the Milwaukee Board of School Directors for failing to comply with Wisconsin Act 12, a law mandating at least 25 school resource officers be stationed at MPS by Jan. 1, 2024.
Borowski is not happy about the prolonged failure to comply with Act 12.
“This court expects action,” he said.
A school resource officer is a law enforcement officer who works full time in collaboration with a school district, according to Act 12.
School resource officers typically carry firearms, according to the National Association of School Resource Officers.
Fines and a new deadline
Borowski ruled that the city doesn’t actually have to pay that money if it can show that it has taken the necessary steps for getting school resource officers in schools by March 15.
Specifically, Borowski requested that the city show:
- that the Milwaukee Common Council has made all approvals necessary for the city to pay its portion of the annual cost of having officers in schools (estimated to be roughly $800,000);
- a list of the officers selected to serve at MPS;
- a list of the schools the officers will be deployed at;
- and proof that the appropriate training has taken place or has been scheduled.
Borowski was more impressed by recent efforts by MPS, which he also ordered to comply with Act 12 and be responsible for half of the annual cost or face the possibility of fines.
“While there has been an enormous amount of foot dragging from both sides, I’m convinced, at least for today, that MPS has complied with my order to the extent that it’s possible for them to comply,” he said.
The school board scheduled a special meeting, during which it unanimously approved allocating the necessary funds to pay for its portion of costs and made clear that it is “ready, willing and able” to accept officers when they are provided, said Hanna Kolberg, the attorney who represented the board at the hearing.
Without the city providing school resource officers, there’s nothing the board can do, she said.
In a statement, Milwaukee City Attorney Evan Goyke provided a different assessment from Borowski’s about the effort the city has put forth.
“Since 2023, the City of Milwaukee has worked to comply with the law to deploy school resource officers.”
However, the statement added, the city will complete the work as quickly as possible in order to ensure safety and comply with the law.
Ongoing safety concerns
Charlene Abughrin, the mother suing the school board and city, said she is not confident this latest deadline will be met.
She also said that it was “egregious” that there’s yet more waiting before school resource officers can be in schools.
“There are always safety concerns at MPS.”
Borowski also emphasized the plight of the students as this process drags on.
“I can have the hearings if necessary – fine. I can drag the lawyers in – fine. … It’s not fair to the students at MPS,” he said.
What happens next
The Common Council is scheduled to have three meetings by March 4 as part of the city’s process of accessing the money to pay its share.
Act 12 states that school resource officers must receive 40 hours of training from the National Association of School Resource Officers.
While there was debate during the hearing about when this training could or must be completed, Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, said that scheduling for the required training is currently about three or four weeks out.
As of Thursday morning, the organization had not received course registrations for Milwaukee Police Department officers, according to a spokesperson for the National Association of School Resource Officers.
A follow-up hearing before Borowski is scheduled for March 17.
In case you missed it
Judge orders at least 25 police officers be placed in MPS schools by Feb. 27
Will officers be placed in MPS schools before the Feb. 17 deadline? It doesn’t look like it
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