Pittsburgh Public Schools board extends halt of disciplinary citations
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh Public Schools board members have voted to extend an ongoing halt on disciplinary citations for students in schools.
Last night, the board tabled a proposed policy that would have resumed the citations in school with more oversight.
It came to an 8-1 vote with board president Gene Walker voting against the motion.
This move will extend the moratorium that went into effect at the beginning of the school year and was already extended. It recently came to an end on January 29.
Summary citations are issued for nonviolent crimes like disorderly conduct and harassment, but the policy hasn't come without scrutiny.
Last month, the ACLU called for the district to end the use of summary citations, saying that school staff and police officers distributed citations to students in a disproportionate manner.
The proposed policy would focus on new guidance for school police and administrators. Principals or a designated person would be informed and need to review with officers to determine whether a citation is appropriate.
The final decision would ultimately come down to school police officers on whether or not a law was broken.
It's unclear how long the motion has been tabled for.