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ACLU Settles Lawsuit With Pawtucket Over 2019 Student Arrest
The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island reached a $5,000 settlement with the City of Pawtucket. The agreement resolves claims stemming from the June 2019 arrest of a 13-year-old student at Lyman B. Goff Middle School.
May 26, 4:48 PM·1m read1 source
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J. The settlement provides $5,000 in damages and commits the city to revising its incident reporting system to track police interactions in schools. It also acknowledges the city's effort to create an internship opportunity for the student.
Who is Black and Native American, was arrested for disorderly conduct after a brief fight in the schoolyard at Lyman B. Goff Middle School. 's mother.
The student, an honor roll student with no prior school altercations, was handcuffed, walked through the school, taken to the police station, and held in a cell for nearly an hour. The charges were later dismissed by the city's juvenile hearing board, and both students received a two-day suspension.
The ACLU said the settlement includes commitments to update tracking of school arrests and discipline by race.
"At the age of 13, our client stood up for her own right and the right of other school children to receive an education instead of being criminalized by the public school system," Shannah Kurland, an ACLU cooperating attorney, said in a statement. Steven Brown, executive director of the ACLU of Rhode Island, said the case shows that police should not handle routine student interactions.
A city spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
