Milwaukee parent files lawsuit against MPS for not having police in schools

Charlene Abughrin said for years her children have come home from Milwaukee Public Schools with bruises. 

One son got a concussion after a padlock was thrown at his head. When another one of Abughrin’s children was in eighth grade, he was picked up by a 12th grader and thrown onto concrete. 

Abughrin’s youngest child is a senior at Milwaukee School of Languages. She said he comes home weekly with injuries because of a “fight club” at the school. 

“My kids should be able to feel safe in school, the teachers should be able to feel safe in school,” Abughrin said. “And there definitely needs to be some accountability for the kids that attend the school just to keep them safe. I shouldn’t, as a parent, have to worry about my kids getting seriously injured at a MPS school.” 

This week, Abughrin filed a lawsuit against MPS, because the school district has not placed police officers in schools. 

The district has been required by state law to station 25 police officers, known as school resource officers, or SROs, in its schools since January. But 10 months later, they are not there.

Milwaukee Public Schools began removing SROs in 2016. It ended its last contract with the Milwaukee Police Department in June 2020.

But that decision stirred controversy and state lawmakers included a provision in a bipartisan law to overhaul local government funding requiring the school district to once again contract for school resource officers. 

That bill sent more state revenue back to local governments and unlocked more than $200 million for the city of Milwaukee.

MPS officials say they remain ready to restart their program as soon as officers are available. 

“As MPS does not employ, hire, or train City of Milwaukee police officers, the district is waiting for the city to provide resources for the program,” said MPS spokesperson Nicole Armendariz

“The district recently reached out to the Milwaukee Police Department to initiate the process to select officers, but this request was denied,” Armendariz said.

City spokesman Jeff Fleming said MPS is misrepresenting the status of the negotiations with the city. 

“Discussions took place as recently as this morning between attorneys for both sides,” Fleming said. “It is the position of both the mayor and the Common Council president that the services MPS receives from the Milwaukee Police should be paid by the school district. Insincere public statements from MPS do not advance good faith discussions.”

Regarding the ongoing “fight club” at Milwaukee School of Languages and the other issues Abughrin’s children have faced at MPS, Armendariz said she will look into it, but state and federal law will likely prohibit her from commenting. 

“The safety of students and staff is a top priority for MPS,” Armendariz said. “The district has a comprehensive safety program in place, which includes the employment of more than 230 safety officers in MPS schools. This program will continue until, and after, the SRO program is implemented in the district.”

Safety officers are unarmed security guards, not sworn law enforcement officers.

Lauren Greuel, an attorney with the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, or WILL, who is representing Abughrin said MPS has had more than enough time to put police officers in place since the law was passed in 2023. 

According to WILL, data obtained from the Milwaukee Police Department found there were more than 3,000 calls to the Milwaukee Police Department from MPS schools last school year. 

“We’ve had multiple parents reach out to us and talk to us about their safety concerns,” Greuel said. “Our parents shouldn’t have to be waiting by the phone all day waiting to see if something bad happens during school hours, they should be able to feel safe sending their kids to school.”

The lawsuit is asking the court to compel MPS to place officers in schools.