The police officers in my kids’ schools are practically celebrities. They know the students’ names. They high-five them in the hallways and show up at weekend carnivals. And they help keep them safe.
Gov. Mike DeWine wants every public and private school in Ohio to have a police officer, in part to protect kids from school shootings. He’s set aside $388 million for staffing, in part because some schools said they’d rather have a police officer than arm their teachers with guns.
ACLU of Ohio, the Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio and other advocacy groups want more guardrails on the program, to make sure that by adding police, minor student behavioral problems would not be escalated to a heavy-handed law enforcement response. That’s especially because studies show that Black and Latino students tend to be disciplined more than white students for the same misbehavior.
In middle school here, at least, detentions are still de rigueur.
-Laura |
Northeast Ohio Tuesday weather forecast: A break from the rain on Tuesday |
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A safety resource officer greeting children entering a school. N. Scott Trimble | [email protected] |
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Police in schools: Some groups worry that Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposal to spend $388.2 million to put a school resource officer in every Ohio school could exacerbate what they call the “school-to-prison pipeline.” Laura Hancock reports groups would like to have more flexibility on how to spend the money, keep and address data gaps and increase the qualifications and training for officers in schools.
State park drilling: State lawmakers passed legislation that opens new doors for drillers to extract oil and gas from beneath its parks. Jake Zuckerman reports that no permits have been approved while rules are still being ironed out, but experts say Salt Fork and Barkcamp State Park in Belmont County are “top prospects” for drilling.
Today in Ohio: Secretary of State Frank LaRose has followed through on his threat to withdraw Ohio from a multi-state voter information database. We’re talking about the bipartisan Electronic Registration Information Center and how LaRose is downplaying the organization’s usefulness in helping to stop voter fraud on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
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Abortion rights: The proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution advanced smoothly through the initial stages of the winding process to get on the ballot, but as advocates began to gather signatures to put the amendment on the November ballot, opponents began setting up roadblocks. Laura Hancock details the challenges, including the Ohio Senate’s push for an August amendment to make it harder to change the constitution.
Death penalty: A group of Ohio lawmakers once again is introducing legislation that would abolish the state’s death penalty, reports Jeremy Pelzer. While several bills have been introduced in past sessions to end capital punishment, starting last session an increasing number of cosponsors have been Republicans – whose backing is vital to passing a bill in the GOP-dominated Ohio General Assembly.
Protecting presidents: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan is deciding whether to draft legislation that would protect “former and/or current Presidents from politically motivated prosecutions by state and local officials” in response to potential charges against former President Donald Trump for his role in making an alleged $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Sabrina Eaton reports Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, joined the chairs of the House Administration and House Oversight and Accountability committees in a Saturday letter that reiterated an earlier demand for documents and testimony from the New York district attorney pursuing the case. |
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Childcare crisis: For a nickel a day in the 1880s, Cleveland women’s philanthropies ran nurseries that provided food, clothing, medical care and a safe place to learn while their parents worked. Laura Johnston writes that the efforts still seem novel, a century and a half later, as individual families grapple with the expense and difficulty of finding childcare.
Drop-in: Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry said it expects to forge ahead with plans to turn an old office building into a youth drop-in center in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood, despite considerable pushback from neighbors who say they don’t want it on their street. The nonprofit is aware that some of the neighbors around 4100 Franklin Boulevard “have made good on their repeated threats to go to court” to stop the project, reports Kaitlin Durbin.
Homelessness: Ohio public school students who experienced homelessness during the school year declined nearly 25% in the latest data, with minorities still the most disproportionately affected, reports Zachary Smith. In the 2018-19 school year, 1.9% of the Ohio student body experienced homelessness, representing about 32,780 kids. This dropped in 2020-21 to 24,699, about 1.5% of the student body.
Molotov cocktail: No arrests have been made after someone threw a Molotov cocktail at a church set to host a Drag Queen Story Hour. Molly Walsh reports Chester Township officials, in an apparent violation of Ohio law and a recent Ohio Supreme Court case, refused to release the full police report. |
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FirstEnergy: FirstEnergy has picked a former AEP executive to be its newest CEO. The company announced Monday morning that Brian Tierney will be named CEO and president in June, reports Sean McDonnell.
Long COVID: If you tested positive for COVID-19 but are still experiencing symptoms many months after your recovery, you may be eligible to participate in a clinical study that could help researchers unravel the mystery of long COVID-19, reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen. The purpose of the research is to determine the reasons why some people recover fully from the coronavirus, while others remain sick long after they test negative.
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Fish scandal: Two amateur fishermen on Monday avoided a trial on felony charges tied to a cheating scandal at a Cleveland walleye fishing tournament and pleaded guilty, reports Cory Shaffer. The charges stemmed from the Lake Erie Walleye Trail Championship on Sept. 30. The event’s director discovered lead weights and walleye fillets stuffed into the bellies of the duo’s fish during the weigh-in at Cleveland’s Gordon Park.
Kidnapping: A Cleveland man is accused of kidnapping an acquaintance he’d hired for a plumbing job, holding him for ransom and firing shots at him as he escaped. John Tucker reports Ahmed Johnson, 51, was arrested Sunday and charged in Cleveland Municipal Court with aggravated kidnapping. |
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This is Trans: The photography exhibit “This is Trans” premieres March 31 at Studio West 117 in Lakewood. Created by Columbus photographer Vincent-Natasha Gay, the traveling show features 100 portraits of transgender individuals from around North America as well as education-focused digital art pieces, reports Paris Wolfe.
Cassata cakes: Cleveland’s famed Cassata cake starts with sponge cake and is layered with strawberries instead of candied fruit, custard instead of sweet ricotta and whipped cream instead of marzipan. Who makes the best? Yadi Rodriguez and Brenda Cain tasted 13 to find out.
Lefty’s: Lefty’s Famous Cheesesteaks Hoagies & Grill founder Sam Berry confirmed the company is set to move into the Northeast Ohio market with Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson as an investor, reports Marc Bona.
Ice cream: Perry’s Ice Cream is launching 14 new flavors – 13 ice cream and one sherbet. And know this: It’s billed as a reimagined extra-indulgent pint line, reports Marc Bona.
RV rocking: This week, Jeff and Patti Kinzbach discuss RV bedroom must-haves, from bedding to lighting. Make your space feel like home, no matter where your travels take you.
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