Athens, Ga May 9, 2019 — May 14th, 2019, AADM will host it’s monthly End School To Prison Pipeline (ESTPP) & TSJ meeting 5:30 pm at Athens Clarke County Library. At this meeting we will review and discuss CCSD discipline policy, school arrest report, and how to combat the school o prison pipeline system. In addition, Mrs.Jackson an Athens Clarke County mother of a 17-year-old Cedar High School student who was recently pepper sprayed, arrested and jailed will share her experience and the video of the incident. For more details, read the story below.

On March 6, a Clarke County student was pepper sprayed by a law enforcement officer at Cedar Shoals High School. For two months, the student’s mother has been fighting for justice. This incident took place after an altercation occurred between two young ladies. According to Mrs. Jackson, mother of the pepper-sprayed student, “They had fought and were already separated” when an officer arrived to back up the school security officer. When officers attempted to escort Mrs.Jackson’s daughter to another location, the child was pepper sprayed because “She did not comply,” as stated in the police report. Her daughter was also arrested and taken to Athens Clarke County Jail. This news is disturbing for multiple reasons and illustrates that our children are being treated like street criminals when officers are allowed to pepper spray, arrest, or press charges against a child within the Clarke County School system.

Mrs. Jackson does not condone fighting and believes all children should be held accountable for their actions. She also believes excessive force was used. She is disappointed in Athens Clarke County School District resource officers, the Athens Clarke County Police Department, and Cedar Shoals administrators for the method in which they handled her daughter and her concerns. Her daughter also has a 504 plan in place. Mrs. Jackson believes her daughter’s rights have been violated under this plan that is intended to provide support and remove barriers for students with disabilities.  

When Mrs. Jackson arrived at Cedar Shoals to speak to the officer the day of the incident, Mrs. Jackson states that the officer called her “retarded.” Mrs.Jackson felt humiliated by the officer’s verbal attack, while several school officials and other law enforcement officers witnessed this and did nothing. This kind of aggressive and insensitive response is unacceptable. The officer has yet to receive any repercussions for her actions or her opposition to providing Mrs. Jackson with proper assistance. Instead, a Clarke County parent who tried to advocate for her child was dismissed, belittled, and did not get the support for her daughter by school officials, nor was she offered any alternatives under the 504 plan.

Mrs. Jackson demands that Athens Clarke County School District take a serious look at their relationship with law enforcement officers and their punitive discipline approach which contributes to the school to prison pipeline system. She demands for school officials to respect her rights as a parent and her child’s rights.

Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement (AADM) is equally concerned that Athens Clarke County school system is more prepared to criminalize our youth as opposed to restoring justice and empowering our children. School officers should not have the authority to press charges against a student without accountability or due process–especially if that child is under a 504 plan.

We are now just hearing about this incident because Mrs.Jackson attempted to follow the process, the chain of command: from contacting Cedar Shoals officials to filing an official complaint with ACCPD against the police officer involved, and nothing was done to address her concerns. Mrs. Jackson states, “They can try to ignore me and point fingers, but they’re not going to just pepper my child and get away with it.”

For additional support, an attorney referred Mrs. Jackson to AADM as we have been working towards combating the school to prison pipeline through awareness and advocacy.  AADM demands that Athens Clarke County School Board and officials take a deeper look at the role law enforcement officers play in the schools. We demand that CCSD analyze and restructure its discipline policies and implement a restorative system that exhausts all other alternatives before incarcerating or using force when reprimanding students.

The school to prison pipeline system is impacting black boys and girls at significantly higher rates than their white peers. By incarcerating or allowing school officers to press charges, CCSD is helping to shuttle students into the criminal justice system. So we ask “What kind of message are we sending when a 17-year-old ends up behind bars for a school fight?” Do we assume that for certain community members, the response is, “We are tired of you, we don’t care enough about you, or we don’t have the skills to provide the support you need, so we’re gonna lock you up”? What are these students learning while sitting in a jail cell among adult inmates, who may or may not have committed crimes?

AADM advocates will continue to support community members like Mrs. Jackson. Our role is to facilitate, mediate, and to provide moral support to help Mrs. Jackson advocate for her rights. Below you will find Mrs. Jackson’s list of demands:

1. The officer involved in the incident be removed from Cedar Shoals High School and receive crisis management training. We also request that school officials evaluate the officer’s performance.
2. Pepper spraying students is banned and that all officers receive de-escalation training.
3. The school board and officials will review and eliminate school policies that incarcerate school-age children and increase restorative policies and practices.
4. All officers receive non-violence training and that the school board reviews overall arrest reports, regularly.
5. The CCSD implements a disciplinary advisory and police review board at each school and that student incidents are reviewed prior to filing charges.
6. Mrs. Jackson is reimbursed for having to bail her daughter out of jail and the disorderly conduct dropped. Mrs. Jackson has experienced financial hardship and significant grief. She requests mediation or an “impartial hearing” to officially address her concerns.
7. School officials follow up with Mrs.Jackson and an AADM representative by responding to these demands within 10 days of receiving this request.

Since becoming involved AADM advocates have facilitated two meetings with Mrs. Jackson and Dawn Meyers. May 8th-the CCSD Chief of Police attended the second meeting and Mrs.Jackson was told by the chief that the officer actions were justifiable due to the circumstances. Mrs.Jackson was disappointed by the outcome. AADM representatives appreciate Mrs. Meyers efforts to address Mrs. Jackson concerns but this is a two-fold issue due to law enforcement involvement. Therefore Mrs.Jackson would like the school board to address her concerns and respond to her demands upon her request.

Again, join us May 14th, 2019, 5:30 pm at Athens Clarke County Library. If you have any questions please contact 678 835 8497 or Mrs. Jackson at 706 612-0990.