Thousands of Illinois students are issued tickets for municipal ordinance violations every year, often resulting in hundreds of dollars in fines and administrative fees. Although the Illinois School Code sought to eliminate fines and fees as a form of school discipline, school administrators still refer students to police who then issue tickets for municipal ordinance violations.
One of the most cited causes for these tickets is substance use, but new research on addiction treatment suggests that punitive measures like ticketing for vaping can have a harmful effect on addressing substance use and are “likely to drive youth into a deeper, more secretive addiction.” Not only is student ticketing an ineffective form of discipline, it also disproportionately impacts Black students and forces students to miss class in order to attend hearings that were designed for adults.
Join us in urging legislators to pass a bill that prohibits school personnel from issuing municipal ordinance violation tickets to students.
How have you, your student, or your family been impacted by unfair punitive discipline practices? Share your story using our online video collector!
Pledge to stand up against the unjust practice of municipal ticketing and work toward creating learning environments that leave students and teachers feeling supported.
If you don’t want to share your story via video just yet, we understand! You can opt to share via written submission.