News & Commentary

By Johanna Kaiser, Development & Communications Associate

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island has called on all school districts that currently have school resource officers (SROs) to re-evaluate their use in the schools and to revise the agreements they have with police departments that set out their job responsibilities. The call was prompted by incidents at Pawtucket’s Tolman High School last week (VIDEO), which reinforced many of the serious concerns the ACLU has long held regarding the routine presence of police officers in schools.

In response to a letter sent by ACCESS/RI, American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Press Association, New England First Amendment Coalition, and League of Women Voters of Rhode Island to Gov. Gina Raimondo on October 6, members of the Governor’s office staff held a meeting with the organizations today to discuss the administration’s handling of open records requests. The organizations released the following statement about today’s meeting:

This Thursday ACLU of Rhode Island members and supporters will be celebrating another year of protecting civil liberties, and there is still time for you to join us!

The American Civil Liberties of Rhode Island has raised serious concerns with a Johnston town ordinance passed last week that could impose “unwarranted, and potentially unlawful, hardship and penalties on individuals who have not engaged in fraudulent activity.” The ordinance, aimed at preventing non-residents from attending Johnston Public Schools, requires every family to submit an affidavit affirming residence their residency in the town. If they do not, the school may refuse to enroll or re-enroll a student.

The ACLU of Rhode Island and four other organizations are urging Rhode Island Attorney Peter Kilmartin to establish a uniform enforcement policy for the state’s new residency restriction law prohibiting individuals convicted of certain sex offenses from living within 1,000 feet of a school.

The ACLU of Rhode Island released the following statement today in response to reports of police actions yesterday at William E. Tolman Senior High School (VIDEO) and during the resulting protests this morning in Pawtucket:

The ACLU of Rhode Island is honoring the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless and homeless rights advocate Megan Smith at its Annual Meeting Celebration on Thursday, October 22, at the Providence Biltmore.