Latest news with #Borowski
Reuters
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
EU border agency reviewing 12 cases of potential rights violations by Greece
ATHENS, April 8 (Reuters) - The EU border agency said on Tuesday it was reviewing 12 cases of potential human rights violations by Greece, including some allegations migrants were pushed back across the frontier, a practice for which Athens has already been chastised in European court. Greece, for years a favoured gateway to Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia, has been accused by human rights groups of forcefully returning asylum-seekers on its sea and land borders, a practice it denies. "There are currently 12 active Serious Incident Reports related to Greece under review by the Fundamental Rights Office. Each is being examined thoroughly," Chris Borowski, spokesperson for EU border agency Frontex, said on Tuesday. He said some of the cases referred to allegations of illegal pushbacks at the border but gave no further details of the circumstances. Two of the incidents occurred in 2025, nine in 2024 and one in 2023. Officials at the Greek coast guard and police, responsible for the sea and land borders, were not immediately available to respond to questions about the 12 cases. A coast guard official said staff operate "with a high sense of responsibility, and with full respect for human lives and human rights". In January, the European Court of Human Rights found violations, opens new tab of human rights by Greece over a case at its land border with Turkey, referring in its ruling to a "systematic practice of pushbacks". Any disciplinary action over rights violations would be up to the Greek national authorities. Frontex, which has also been accused by rights groups in the past of complicity in illegal pushbacks, is undergoing reforms and has warned states including Greece that if they fail to report potential rights violations co-financing may be withheld. Greece's coast guard has rescued over 250,000 people since 2015 when the country was at the frontline of Europe's migration crisis. Thousands of others have died at sea, according to the U.N refugee agency. Frontex's financing of Greek maritime operations was cut last year due to broader operational budget constraints but the agency still engages with Greek authorities, insisting on reforms, said Borowski. "Frontex has changed how it engages with member states. We no longer supply resources unquestioningly," he said. "(We)insist on standards and expect action."
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
With police in MPS schools, judge rescinds contempt order against city of Milwaukee
It's official: As of Monday, Milwaukee Public Schools again has a school resource officer program. Milwaukee Police Department officers have been assigned in pairs to police 11 schools across the city, according to court filings. "Candidly, this only happened because of the, frankly, immense pressure that I put on the city," said Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge David Borowski during a hearing Monday. MPS has been required to have a school resource officer program since Jan. 1, 2024, when the state law known as Act 12 went into effect. A lack of compliance with that law instigated a lawsuit by a district parent and the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. 'The message from today is simple: frustrated parents, like Charlene (Abughrin), are fighting back and standing up for what's right," said a statement from WILL associate counsel Lauren Greuel after the Monday hearing. "SROs will provide much-needed safety resources to schools and ensure MPS moves closer to a safer, more productive learning environment.' Also Monday, Borowski purged his prior finding of contempt and the $1,000 in daily fines it carried against the city of Milwaukee. That's because the city met certain conditions to implement the SRO program, including passing a memorandum of understanding in the Common Council, training officers, selecting them and which schools they will work at. Clint Muche, assistant city attorney, told the judge at the hearing that the city had not intentionally disobeyed court orders to implement a school resource officer program. "It was not necessarily as easy as one might imagine," Muche said. The officers assigned to MPS schools completed the required training through the National Association of School Resource Officers on March 14, according to court filings. A total of 38 MPD staff attended that training, including 31 police officers and seven supervising officers. During the Monday hearing, Borowski said he was concerned MPS would place the officers, then "when I'm not looking, or when the case is closed, yank them back out." He agreed to dismiss the case — but only under the condition that if the SRO program were eliminated, the court case would reopen under his watch. "I would trust both lawyers to tell their clients, 'Don't you dare go back on this; don't violate the judge's order or the state law.' But I'm not sure I'm 100% confident in others," he said. As in prior hearings, Borowski showed his support for implementing the SRO program, an issue that is contested in the city. "There is still a narrative out there from some people that putting police in schools is this big, horrible, awful thing," Borowski said. "Well, as others have pointed out recently, the police are in the schools every single day." Across the past 11 school years, Milwaukee police received an average of 3,700 MPS-related calls between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., according to an analysis by the Journal Sentinel. The reasons for those calls are vast, with the most common reason being a vague "trouble" category. Activists against SROs have said they are concerned the call volume is being driven by an understaffed, under-resourced district that is overly reliant on police to manage student behavior. In the past, MPS stopped stationing police in specific schools — and began using "mobile" officer units — in response to concerns that police were becoming too involved in school discipline, and driving up the number of arrests. The newly approved memorandum of understanding for the SRO program attempts to clarify that issue, saying officers will only be involved in law enforcement and will leave school discipline to staff. On Monday afternoon, students poured out of Rufus King High School to hop on buses or get into their families' cars to head home for the night. Students and parents the Journal Sentinel spoke with said they were pleased with police officers being added to the school. Tavia Keyes, whose daughter freshman Jasmine Hurd attends Rufus King, grew up with officers in her high school, she said. Now, she thinks it a good thing the officers will be in place to respond to incidents her daughter said occur, such as weapons being sneaked inside. 'It gives a sense of security and safety,' Keyes said. Jessica Harris has two children, a senior and a junior, who attend the high school. Her daughter senior Jatoria Harris said having SROs in the schools is a 'good thing.' The mother, Jessica, was also in favor of the addition, citing the ability of school resource officers to respond faster to issues in the schools than other officers. She understood concerns of potential overpolicing of youth, but believed it was largely parents' responsibility to address that. Even if a student were wrongfully cited by police, she said, the court system would be a balancing factor. 'If you're raising your child right, you shouldn't be concerned,' she said. After the Monday court hearing, lawsuit plaintiff Charlene Abughrin told reporters the placement of SROs in schools will take stress off teachers, parents and staff. Abughrin said she felt "slighted" that her 12th-grade son's school did not receive SROs, but she still believes it's a "win," and a "step in the right direction" to put police in schools at all. She said she would revisit the case if officers were withdrawn. "I'm not entirely satisfied with the schools where they placed them at, because there are some schools with greater needs, that have greater violence," she said. "I think they probably should be redistributed." Abughrin specifically mentioned a need for police at the Wisconsin Conservatory for Lifelong Learning, where one of her children previously attended. WCLL is the school where students from Trowbridge Street School of Great Lakes Studies were temporarily relocated while their building was cleared of lead-based paint hazards. As a parent of six children who attended MPS, Abughrin said she's been through the process "a very long time" of filing complaints, attending school board meetings and attempting to improve safety issues in the district with no redress. Asked about criticisms of SROs, Abughrin said it's necessary to "walk in my shoes." "Most of (these schools) are a breeding ground for the prison system, because there's so much crime that is happening within the Milwaukee Public Schools system," she said. According to court filings, 11 schools have school resource officers. They are: Riverside University High School Lynde and Harry Bradley Technology and Trade School North Division High School Milwaukee High School of the Arts Hamilton High School Washington High School Vincent High School Madison High School Rufus King High School Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education Milwaukee Marshall High School Cleo Krejci covers K-12 education and workforce development as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at CKrejci@ or follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. For more information about Report for America, visit David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 'Immense pressure' put police back in MPS schools, judge says
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Monday is the deadline for city of Milwaukee to prove action on putting police in schools
If all goes as a Milwaukee judge ordered, school police will walk the halls of Milwaukee Public Schools on Monday. If that happens, it would be the first time in over 14 months that MPS has complied with state law requiring the presence of 25 school resource officers in district schools. Noncompliance with the law known as Act 12 prompted a lawsuit against the MPS school board, and later the city, by a district parent and the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. Milwaukee Circuit Judge David Borowski set three separate deadlines for police to get into schools: Feb. 17, Feb. 27 and March 15. In issuing that third deadline, and growing increasingly frustrated, Borowski also found the city of Milwaukee liable for contempt in failing to get officers in place by his earlier deadlines. He ordered the city to be fined $1,000 per day for noncompliance. But Borowski also stayed those penalties until March 15, giving the city time to take certain steps to comply with Act 12. A hearing in the case is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Monday. To avoid penalties, the city must show the judge that: It has taken steps to implement a memorandum of understanding with MPS outlining the terms of the school resource officer program; School resource officers are either registered for, or have completed, training through the National Association of School Resource Officers, and; It can provide a list of the names of the 25 school resource officers, and the schools where they will work, to the judge. Since Feb. 27, both the city Common Council and Milwaukee Board of School Directors have taken formal action to approve a memorandum of understanding that contractually outlines the details of the school police program. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson signed the memorandum March 10, according to his spokesperson Jeff Fleming. Among other things, the agreement says school police should become involved only when a student breaks the law, and school discipline should be handled by MPS staff. Defining that line between police as law enforcement officials and school disciplinarians has been an issue in the past. Activists against SROs have argued that police too often entangle students with the legal system for behaviors that should otherwise be handled by school staff. Research has shown that students of color and students with disabilities are more likely to be arrested or suspended when police are present in schools. In creating the police-related requirements of Act 12, state lawmakers are forcing MPS to reverse course on a 2020 decision to terminate contracts with police. The district and school board took that action in the wake of national anti-police brutality protests and the murder of George Floyd. Borowski has made clear he wants police in schools as quickly as possible. But it still remains unclear exactly when that will happen. In a March 12 statement, the mayor's spokesperson, Jeff Fleming, said school police were expected to complete the required training by March 14. Fleming said he did not know specifics about when officers would be in schools or at which schools they would be stationed. A spokesperson for the Milwaukee Police Department declined to provide updates on Friday, citing ongoing litigation. A spokesperson for MPS also declined to provide updates Friday. Cleo Krejci covers K-12 education and workforce development as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at CKrejci@ or follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. For more information about Report for America, visit This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Monday is the deadline for city to prove action on MPS police program
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Monday is the deadline for city of Milwaukee to prove action on putting police in schools
If all goes as a Milwaukee judge ordered, school police will walk the halls of Milwaukee Public Schools on Monday. If that happens, it would be the first time in over 14 months that MPS has complied with state law requiring the presence of 25 school resource officers in district schools. Noncompliance with the law known as Act 12 prompted a lawsuit against the MPS school board, and later the city, by a district parent and the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. Milwaukee Circuit Judge David Borowski set three separate deadlines for police to get into schools: Feb. 17, Feb. 27 and March 15. In issuing that third deadline, and growing increasingly frustrated, Borowski also found the city of Milwaukee liable for contempt in failing to get officers in place by his earlier deadlines. He ordered the city to be fined $1,000 per day for noncompliance. But Borowski also stayed those penalties until March 15, giving the city time to take certain steps to comply with Act 12. A hearing in the case is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Monday. To avoid penalties, the city must show the judge that: It has taken steps to implement a memorandum of understanding with MPS outlining the terms of the school resource officer program; School resource officers are either registered for, or have completed, training through the National Association of School Resource Officers, and; It can provide a list of the names of the 25 school resource officers, and the schools where they will work, to the judge. Since Feb. 27, both the city Common Council and Milwaukee Board of School Directors have taken formal action to approve a memorandum of understanding that contractually outlines the details of the school police program. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson signed the memorandum March 10, according to his spokesperson Jeff Fleming. Among other things, the agreement says school police should become involved only when a student breaks the law, and school discipline should be handled by MPS staff. Defining that line between police as law enforcement officials and school disciplinarians has been an issue in the past. Activists against SROs have argued that police too often entangle students with the legal system for behaviors that should otherwise be handled by school staff. Research has shown that students of color and students with disabilities are more likely to be arrested or suspended when police are present in schools. In creating the police-related requirements of Act 12, state lawmakers are forcing MPS to reverse course on a 2020 decision to terminate contracts with police. The district and school board took that action in the wake of national anti-police brutality protests and the murder of George Floyd. Borowski has made clear he wants police in schools as quickly as possible. But it still remains unclear exactly when that will happen. In a March 12 statement, the mayor's spokesperson, Jeff Fleming, said school police were expected to complete the required training by March 14. Fleming said he did not know specifics about when officers would be in schools or at which schools they would be stationed. A spokesperson for the Milwaukee Police Department declined to provide updates on Friday, citing ongoing litigation. A spokesperson for MPS also declined to provide updates Friday. Cleo Krejci covers K-12 education and workforce development as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at CKrejci@ or follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. For more information about Report for America, visit This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Monday is the deadline for city to prove action on MPS police program
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
City, MPS attempt to ensure school police will not get involved in school discipline
Taking aim at past issues with policing in Milwaukee Public Schools, an agreement the city approved Tuesday says the district's new school resource officers will only step in when students break the law. New MPS school police will be prohibited from getting too involved in regular school discipline, under the agreement. Those issues are to be handled by school staff, the memorandum of understanding says. For over a year, MPS has been required to place 25 school resource officers in its schools as the result of the state law known as Act 12. That hasn't happened, but the agreement the city approved Tuesday morning is one of the final steps for the two to comply with state law. After passing the full Common Council on a 10-4 vote, the agreement still needs the signature and approval of Mayor Cavalier Johnson. The MPS Board of School Directors was scheduled to vote on the agreement Tuesday evening. The school district previously voted to allocate funds to pay its share of the program. The four alders who voted against the agreement Tuesday were Milele Coggs, Marina Dimitrijevic, Andrea Pratt and Laressa Taylor. On Feb. 27, Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge David Borowski found the city of Milwaukee in contempt of his earlier order to put police in schools by that date and imposed a $1,000 daily fine. Those penalties would go into effect March 15, giving the city and MPS time to sign the memorandum of understanding. The city and district are also expected to have officers in schools by March 15, under the judge's order. To do so, they will need to recruit officers from elsewhere in the police department and, at the very least, according to the judge, schedule a 40-hour training by the National Association of Resource Officers as required by Act 12. "In my view, it's been the city's intent for a year and a half, either intentionally or neglectfully, to run out the clock on this type of situation. To not comply," Borowski said at the Feb. 27 hearing, the third time he set a deadline. Borowski's orders are the result of an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and a district parent. It aims to force police into MPS schools as required by Act 12. Here's what to know about the draft memorandum of understanding and how it compares to past versions: According to the memorandum of understanding, both MPS and the city must agree that school resource officers should not be used to enforce school discipline "unless such participation is necessary under the circumstances." It also says MPS will be responsible for training school staff in how to distinguish when a student's behavior requires a response from law enforcement, as well as how to avoid participating in law enforcement. Both parties are expected to address "criminal activities by students and other things like environmental crime prevention techniques." In the hearing last week, Borowski said a school resource officer should be able to tell the difference between a student who "mouths off" and one who is committing a crime of assault. In response, Milwaukee Police Department Chief of Staff Heather Hough said it's not always so clear. In some cases, teachers may be frightened by a student "mouthing off." "There are black and white areas of this, but there are also some gray areas," Hough said. The Journal Sentinel analyzed police call data for the past 11 school years, finding there were 3,700 calls from district addresses on average per year just between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Not all of those calls related to student behavior, however — and many that did were nonviolent. Research has shown that students of color and those with disabilities are more likely to be arrested or suspended when police are in schools. In campaigning against school police, some expressed concerns that the presence of officers in understaffed MPS schools will lead young people to become involved with law enforcement for conduct that could otherwise be handled at the school level. That was an issue in Tuesday's council meeting, too. "What is the goal of the expanded police interactions with our Milwaukee Public Schools children? What are the metrics being used? Will more students being arrested?" asked Dimitrijevic, who voted against the agreement. Other council members pushed back. "I literally just had a town hall on Feb. 22 where I had 30 residents, and the first thing they talked about is when the police are coming back to the schools," said Ald. Mark Chambers Jr. During Tuesday's council meeting, Dimitrijevic proposed an amendment that said any unanticipated city revenue from the MPS police program be diverted to the Milwaukee Recreation Department for youth programming. She withdrew that proposal before a vote during Tuesday's meeting, saying she would introduce it during a later committee meeting. On Monday, Bauman said the National Association of School Resource Officer training is scheduled to begin next week. Milwaukee Police Department officials are finalizing a contract with the national training organization, he said. On Feb. 27, Assistant City Attorney Clint Muche said 21 current MPD officers have volunteered to work inside city schools. The officers who volunteered are from various divisions in MPD, said Ald. Peter Burgelis. He said the police department had assured the council there would be no operational issues with moving officers to fill the required 25 positions. The city had 1,587 police officers in late 2024. MPS used to station school resource officers in particular schools. But that practice ended in the 2013-14 school year, following concerns those officers were too often involved in school discipline. A 2014-15 report to the school board said police had been "taking on different than intended roles in the schools they were assigned to." "It was noted that the way some of the cases were handled, officers ended up making arrests as the situations escalated; arrests in schools increased," a different report later found. Prior versions of the memorandum of understanding between the city and MPS do not specify officers' roles in enforcing school discipline. Unlike the new draft contract, older agreements said officers would provide "educational resources to pupils and parents regarding issues related to alcohol and other drugs, law, ordinances and the juvenile code." Past school resource officer contracts capped the number of officers at 12. The new agreement sets it at 25, the required number through state law. Older agreements also specified that officers would be "mobile" through MPS; the new contract says officers will be positioned in "specific regions through the district to ensure coverage of MPS schools." In his order last week, Borowski asked the city to provide the names of the officers who will work inside MPS, as well as the schools they would work in. The saga between the city and its school district began with the passage of 2023 Wisconsin Act 12, a state funding law. In negotiations with the Republican-led State Assembly, that law brought new revenue for the city but came with strict stipulations around things like policing in Milwaukee. The police-related requirements of Act 12 apply only to MPS, although Wisconsin has 421 public school districts. The law forced MPS to reverse a 2020 decision to terminate contracts with police, action it took in the wake of national anti-police brutality protests and the murder of George Floyd. Act 12's requirements have been in place since January 2024, but the city and school district have never reached an agreement over funding or contract details. Both Borowski, and attorneys for WILL have maintained the parties are intentionally refusing to comply with the law, though MPS and the city have said they are committed to implementing the program. "I really hope that the aldermen of Milwaukee have enough sense to understand the predicament that they're in relative to the state law," Borowski said during the case's latest hearing on Feb. 27. On Monday, Johnson said he wished the agreement had been in place earlier, but said he was pleased the judge ordered the cost be split equally. Johnson said an equal split was the city's position in negotiations. "I'm interested in getting it done," he said. "I'm happy we're going to be moving forward." David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@ Cleo Krejci covers K-12 education and workforce development as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at CKrejci@ or follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. For more information about Report for America, visit This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee police will not get involved in MPS discipline, agreement says
