Close look at Cheney Schools reveals distrubing facts

According to data from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, reported in a national NBC investigation “Policing the Schools” (Feb. 27, 2017), during the 2013-2014 school year the rate of student referral to law enforcement in the Cheney School District was 9.86 per 1,000 students. This was over twice the national rate of 4.47, and over three times the Washington rate of 2.94. Twelve of the 43 (28 percent) of these students were reported as having a disability; four of the 12 disabled students referred to law enforcement were racial minorities.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) 2017 report “Students not Suspects; The Need to Reform School Policing in Washington State,” a first-time arrest doubles the odds that a student will drop out of high school, and a first-time court appearance quadruples the odds. One study found that only 26 percent of students who are arrested graduate from high school, compared to 64 percent of their peers; and that arrested students are only half as likely to enroll in a four-year college.

These data brings to mind several questions. Was there actually more crime in the Cheney School District than in other school districts that year? Were school administrators just quicker to call the police for student disciplinary situations than in other districts? Were school police more aggressive in arresting kids than in other districts? Has the pattern changed since 2014? Are disabled and minority children in the Cheney School District still being disproportionately arrested and referred to law enforcement?

Of 81 school districts examined in the ACLU report, Cheney School District paid the most per school police officer at $127, 299/year. This was over twice the state average of $60,955/year. A recent agreement between the Cheney School District and the Cheney Police Department provides for the hiring of a second law enforcement officer in addition to the current position. Might this money be better spent on school counselors, psychologists, or social workers to help address the root causes of student misbehavior?

Is it time to take a closer look at policing within the Cheney School District?

Kristin Mansfield

Cheney