Last summer, ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune analyzed data that found nearly 12,000 tickets were issued to students from August 2018 through June 2021. Despite recent laws designed to prohibit schools from issuing fines and fees as discipline and referring truant students to police, school personnel referred thousands of students to local municipalities for the purpose of issuing fines and fees as a disciplinary consequence for school-based behaviors. This system of discipline creates a statewide injustice as fines and fees can vary widely across municipalities. As a consequence, students with tickets must miss school to attend a municipal hearing that does not guarantee the right to due process, like access to legal counsel. Consequences for most student misbehavior can and should be handled through a district’s discipline policy. 

However, a ban on school-based ticketing is just one piece of a bigger issue. As we have engaged other stakeholders, we have heard that disruptive and unsafe student behavior increasingly frustrates teachers and administrators – and lack the necessary tools to maintain safe learning environments and support students who have experienced trauma. Chicago Public Schools proposed a ban on School Resource Officers (SROs) in schools, which was met with a mixed community response. Some school districts rely on SROs as a part of their discipline structure, while others do not. Some SROs have undergone trauma-informed, healing-centered training, while others have not. The 2024 class of fellows will be an active participant in discussions focused on best restorative practices to support students and safe learning environments. We will spend the beginning of the fellowship diving into the details of existing laws and policies governing school discipline in Illinois and identify opportunities for restorative practices. We will hear from students and families, teachers and administrators, and restorative justice experts to develop a well-rounded understanding of the issue before determining and presenting policy recommendations.  

We invite all interested Illinois residents to apply. Special consideration will be given to those with first-hand experience with school-based tickets or ineffective discipline experiences (for example, as a parent, student, teacher, or administrator,). Participants will NOT be required to represent or share identifiable information about their school district, or individual students, but we will share lessons learned, challenges faced, best practices, and stories (either anonymized  or sourced). 

This will be an opportunity for you to enhance your policy knowledge, see public policymaking in action, and build your own leadership skills. Through thoughtful discussions, your collective voice will inform Stand’s work on discipline and restorative justice policies. You will grow your network, learn from experts, communicate regularly with Stand’s policy team, and meet with elected officials.  

Fellows receive a $400 a month stipend for active participation in the program, payable monthly.

The fellowship runs from September 2024 through early January 2025, with a total time commitment of approximately 1 0 – 15 hours per month. 

Fellows will meet via 60-minute webinars twice per month. The webinars will feature guest experts, informational sessions, fellow-led presentations, team planning and decision-making. In addition, various individual and group work will be undertaken.  

Optional conferences and expert presentations will be flagged for those who are interested. We will also provide timely information about opportunities for advocacy and engagement, such as submitting written or public comments to critical policy committees, writing blog posts or other communications, submitting letters to the editor, and meeting with state legislators and school board members. 

Applications have now closed.