Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Borowski has ordered Milwaukee Public Schools to “comply with Wisconsin law and provide the legally required number of School Resource Officers in all public schools” no later than Feb. 17, according to the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL).
WILL “won a significant legal victory against the Milwaukee Public School District (MPS) as a judge denied MPS’ motion to dismiss and granted WILL’s application for an alternative writ,” WILL wrote in a Jan. 23 press release.
Court records for the Jan. 23 hearing say, “Court Denied Motion to Dismiss. Court Granted the Petition for Mandamus. Court Ordered the SRO Requirement be implemented on or before 2/17/2025.”
WILL’s brief stated: “The Board did not ‘ensure that not fewer than 25 school resource officers are present at schools within the district during normal hours’ by January 1, 2024, as required by state law. Wis. Stat. § 62.90(8).16. To date, the Board has still not ensured that any SROs are present within the district at any time since January 1, 2024.” The plaintiff is a mother with a child in MPS.
“This is a massive triumph for parents and kids who want to go to school in a safe environment,” WILL Associate Counsel, Lauren Greuel, said. “Without this ruling, MPS would have simply continued to ignore the law and parents like our client would have been left with no options.”
Milwaukee parent and WILL client Charlene Abughrin said in the WILL news release: “I am grateful to WILL for bringing this lawsuit. I will sleep better knowing that my child, and others, will be protected once MPS begins to comply with the law.”
According to WILL, if MPS fails to have 25 school resource officers in schools the morning of
February 17, the district “must appear before the court at 3 p.m. that afternoon to explain why they have not adhered to the law. This ruling underscores the importance of student safety and holds MPS accountable for its failure to comply with state law.”
As part of the ruling, the court “has directed WILL to amend its initial complaint and add the City of Milwaukee to the case. The Court said it would issue a written order by Monday,” the press release says.
“This latest WILL win compels MPS to immediately address safety concerns that have been left unresolved for an unnecessarily prolonged period. The ruling ensures that MPS is on a clear timeline to meet its obligations under the law, which is a critical step toward ensuring student and staff safety in the troubled district,” said WILL.
WILL provided this additional background: “Adopted in 2023, Wisconsin Act 12’s primary focus gave the option of a sales tax increase for both the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County, but it also did more. As part of Act 12, state law was amended to require that MPS ‘shall ensure that no fewer than 25 school resource officers are present at schools within the district during normal school hours,; and that the school resource officers are available
during certain additional time periods and events. The law requires the SROs be in place no later than January 1, 2024.”
