Pittsburgh Public Schools will extend its pause on the use of summary citations through the end of February. It’s the second time the moratorium has been extended to allow for more time to craft a policy that defines how and when they should be used.
Summary citations are the most minor type of criminal offense one can receive in Pennsylvania. Recipients are ordered to appear before a magisterial district judge and are tried as adults.
In a letter to the school board this week, advocates with the ACLU renewed their calls to permanently end the use of citations, which are disproportionately issued to Black students.
While Black students make up just over half of the district’s enrollment, they received 89% of citations issued during the 2021-2022 school year.
“The moratorium on issuing summary citations has been an important first step in addressing the problem,” the letter stated. “Now PPS must take definitive action to effectively address the harms caused by summary citations and the broader racial disparities in PPS’s disciplinary practices.”
The latest moratorium extension comes not from the board, but rather by a directive from PPS Superintendent Wayne Walters. He said the pause, which was expected to expire at the end of January, will continue for an additional month to allow the board to make a policy determination at the February legislative meeting.
Board president Gene Walker said that the board intends to create a policy that “will be equitable for all.”
