Jackson Free Press

The Jackson Police Department is no stranger to the Capital City Alternative School. The Jackson Public Schools' alternative school, whose students usually have referrals from other schools for discipline reasons, is the subject of allegations that staff have been handcuffing students as punishment for minor infractions. This school year, though, the school has also regularly called police officers to address incidents.

Documents obtained by the Jackson Free Press through a public-records request show that, between Sept. 1, 2010 and April 22, 2011, JPD answered 47 calls for service originating from the alternative school, located at 2221 Boling St.

Of those calls, 27 were for incidents ranging from alleged "disorderly conduct" to "resisting arrest" to simple assault and something listed as "incorrigible child." Over the 31 weeks within that period that students were at Capital City—discounting breaks—that makes for an average of nearly one call to the police per week.

Another 20 calls were for varied reasons like "information" and meeting with a complainant. JPS spokeswoman Colendula Green said those calls did not necessarily indicate the need for an officer to address an ongoing incident. Such calls could have been to request in-person assistance or to provide information, Green said.

The Mississippi Youth Justice Project, an advocacy project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, alleged in an April 15 letter to JPS that staff at the alternative school are handcuffing students as punishment for misbehavior as minor as talking back or not following dress code. MYJP demanded an immediate end to the practice.

Jody Owens, managing advocate for the Mississippi Youth Justice Project, said that the high number of calls underscored the school's "need to deal with a very simple problem there that's not being handled appropriately."

"You'd have to know the reason for the calls" before assuming that they indicated further problems at Capital City, Owens cautioned.

Owens added that he was somewhat disappointed by the school district's response, sent last week, in which JPS attorney JoAnne Shepherd Nelson said the district is investigating MYJP's allegations and has reminded Capital City staff that district policy forbids handcuffing as punishment.

"We want an acknowledgement that if this is happening, it should not happen—that children should not be handcuffed for dress-code violations," Owens said.