Columbus city school leaders are decrying stop-and-frisk rumors.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Interim Superintendent Columbus City Schools addressed a question she said had been circulating on social media about the district’s policy on random searches of students.

Parents attended Wednesday night’s Board of Education meeting and expressed concern about the “stop and frisk” policy where students are randomly searched inside the school building.

“The Columbus Coalition for Educational Justice condemns the unconstitutionality. We are outraged by this administration’s actions in reckless execution that it had to use efforts that have been historically well-documented to create divisiveness between black and brown students,” said Kaleem Musa.

He was followed by another parent who questioned the district’s search policy, saying it was not based on evidence.

“We must not use tactics that overly criminalize our students. And further traumatize our already traumatized children. Such tactics exacerbate racial disparities in our schools. They don’t really protect our children, they reinforce the school-to-prison pipeline,” said Mariel Hainault..

Speaking about the school district’s heightened safety protocols, Dr. Angela Chapman wanted to address what she called misinformation on social media.

“The district is also aware of the misinformation being spread on social media that says safety measures include stop and frisk. This narrative is false. At no time do school or safety and security personnel pat down or search our students,” she said.

Earlier this year, the district installed metal detectors in schools to deter students from bringing weapons into buildings.

The district’s metal detector inspection policy states that “metal detectors may be used in district schools and in schools associated with the functions of such schools on an occasional and periodic basis.”

Additionally, the policy states that “Prior to conducting a metal detector test, a sign or signs announcing the gun check must be posted on the day of the metal detector test outside the school or school event in a prominent location. entrance or entrances’.

You can find out more about the politics of the district here.

Local news: recent coverage ⬇️