The Price Kids Pay

How Schools and Police Work Together to Punish Students

Illinois law bans schools from fining students. But police routinely issue tickets to children for minor misbehavior at school, burdening families with financial penalties.

The Price Kids Pay: Schools and Police Punish Students With Costly Tickets for Minor Misbehavior

Illinois law bans schools from fining students. So local police are doing it for them, issuing thousands of tickets a year for truancy, vaping, fights and other misconduct. Children are then thrown into a legal system designed for adults.

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Jennifer Smith Richards, photography by Armando L. Sanchez, Chicago Tribune, illustrations by Laila Milevski, ProPublica

Apr. 28, 2022, 5:00 am EDT

Impact of Our Reporting

Illinois Lawmakers Ban Police From Ticketing and Fining Students for Minor Infractions in School

by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards

May 28, 2025, 9:45 pm EDT

Hoping to “Trump Proof” Students’ Civil Rights, Illinois Lawmakers Aim to End Police Ticketing at School

by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards

February 4, 2025, 6:00 am EST

Illinois’ AG Said It’s Illegal for Schools to Use Police to Ticket Students. But His Office Told Only One District.

by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards

November 25, 2024, 5:00 am EST

School District With Highest Student Arrest Rate in the Nation Agrees to Reform How It Disciplines Disabled Students

by Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen

September 6, 2024, 10:15 am EDT

An Illinois School District’s Reliance on Police to Ticket Students Is Discriminatory, Civil Rights Complaint Says

by Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen

June 4, 2024, 1:30 pm EDT

Ticketed at School as a Teen, a Young Black Woman Is Suing an Illinois City for Violating Her Civil Rights

by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards

May 22, 2024, 9:00 am EDT

Illinois Officials Will Try a Second Time to Make Good on Pledge to Reform Student Ticketing

by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards

June 29, 2023, 5:00 am EDT

The Federal Government Is Investigating an Illinois School Where Students With Disabilities Were Frequently Arrested

by Jennifer Smith Richards, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica

March 8, 2023, 5:00 am EST

New Bill Could End Police Ticketing in Illinois Schools

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Jennifer Smith Richards

March 3, 2023, 6:00 am EST

State Investigation Reveals Racial Disparities in Student Discipline and Police Involvement

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Jennifer Smith Richards

September 14, 2022, 6:00 am EDT

Illinois Will Investigate Possible Civil Rights Violations in Student Ticketing

by Jennifer Smith Richards, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica

May 26, 2022, 6:00 am EDT

Illinois Will Stop Helping Cities Collect Some School Ticket Debt From Students

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Jennifer Smith Richards

May 13, 2022, 5:00 am EDT

Illinois’ Education Chief Urges Schools to Stop Working With Police to Ticket Students for Misbehavior

by Jennifer Smith Richards, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica

April 29, 2022, 1:15 pm EDT

26 stories published since 2022

Years After Being Ticketed at School for a Theft She Said Never Happened, Former Student Prevails in Court

by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards

August 10, 2023, 1:30 pm EDT
ProPublica and Chicago Tribune Win NABJ Salute to Excellence Award

by ProPublica

August 9, 2023, 5:37 pm EDT
ProPublica Reporting Projects Win Top Awards from the Education Writers Association

by ProPublica

June 7, 2023, 2:30 pm EDT
ProPublica, Chicago Tribune Win Driehaus Award for “The Price Kids Pay”

by ProPublica

May 31, 2023, 1:15 pm EDT
ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune Win Worth Bingham Prize

by ProPublica

April 13, 2023, 3:30 pm EDT
ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune Win IRE Award

by ProPublica

April 4, 2023, 2:57 pm EDT
A Chicago Suburb Stopped Ticketing Students. But It Won’t Stop Pursuing a 3-Year-Old Case Over Missing AirPods.

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Jennifer Smith Richards

March 22, 2023, 11:30 am EDT
The School That Calls the Police on Students Every Other Day

by Jennifer Smith Richards, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica

December 17, 2022, 5:00 am EST
New Data Gives Insight Into Ticketing at Five Suburban Chicago School Districts

by Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica

July 22, 2022, 7:00 am EDT
A Teen Was Ticketed at School for a Theft She Says Didn’t Happen. Years Later, She’s Still Fighting.

by Jennifer Smith Richards, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica

June 16, 2022, 6:00 am EDT
Black Students in Illinois Are Far More Likely to Be Ticketed by Police for School Behavior Than White Students

by Jennifer Smith Richards, and Jodi S. Cohen, photography by Armando L. Sanchez, Chicago Tribune, illustrations by Laila Milevski

May 6, 2022, 5:00 am EDT
Do Police Give Students Tickets in Your Illinois School District?

by Ruth Talbot, ProPublica, Jennifer Smith Richards, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica

April 28, 2022, 4:59 am EDT