Akron Public Schools Superintendent Michael Robinson says the district wants two police officers gone from Firestone Community Learning Center after video released by the district shows one of the officers striking a student while they attempted to arrest him; the officer who struck the student has already been removed.
The school district in a press release Monday says the officer who struck the student's actions were “unacceptable.” The district in a follow-up statement said the student "sustained a minor injury," and was tended to by the school health aide and emergency medical services.
The officer, named in the incident report as Z. McCormick - whose badge number matches an Akron Police Officer named Zachary McCormick - struck a 16-year-old student in the head three times while arresting him, according to the incident report obtained by Ideastream Public Media.
The incident is under internal investigation by the Akron Police Department. McCormick has been reassigned to administrative duty during the investigation, Mayor Shammas Malik said during a Monday news conference.
“I found the video upsetting,” Malik said. “I expect many others will as well.”
A video of the incident released by the school district shows two police officers sending a student back through the metal detector line before the student tries to push past them into the school. They then attempt to restrain the student, eventually pushing the student to the ground; after a short struggle they bring him off the ground and they begin to walk the student over to the side of the hallway to put handcuffs on him.
While walking him, one of the officers suddenly begins striking the student in what appears to be the back of the head; the two officers then drop the student to the ground before handcuffing him.
McCormick reported being worried the student had a weapon and tried to send him through the metal detector again three times, according to the incident report.
“I became fearful that at any moment, [the student] could free one or both of his arms and escape into the school with whatever weapons he may have been hiding on his person,” McCormick wrote in the report.
While the student did not have a weapon, he did have a cell phone on him, according to the report.
"School policy is that cell phones are not permitted. That may have been what gave rise to this incident,” Malik said during the news conference.
The student was initially charged with criminal trespassing, resisting arrest and obstructing official business. The Summit County Prosecutor's Office has agreed to drop the charges during the ongoing investigation, Malik said.
Ideastream Public Media has requested McCormick’s personnel file.
Concerns about use of force
Akron’s police auditor, Anthony Finnell, has previously raised concerns over the department’s use of punching during arrests.
“Right now, officers are, in my opinion, just going to punches way too fast, and for nonviolent offenses,” Finnell said.
Punches to the head can result in serious brain injuries on suspects, as well as hand injuries for officers, Finnell said.
Punches should typically be used if there is a threat to the officer’s life, he said.
“If someone is trying to do some serious harm, then, you know, you do what you have to do and we can talk about it later. But if someone's just not going along with the program and there's no other threat of … serious bodily harm or deadly force necessary, delivering a punch to someone's head or face is very serious,” Finnell added.
McCormick punched the student in order to “gain physical control” of him during the arrest, he wrote in the report.
Finnell will review the Firestone incident after the police department concludes its internal use-of-force investigation.
The district in the press release issued Monday afternoon said it has formally requested the permanent removal of McCormick and for a replacement from the city. However, Superintendent Robinson during the Monday night board of education meeting said he was requesting both officers be removed from the school district, which is contrary to the message in the original news release.
“We deeply value the partnership we have with law enforcement and the crucial role SROs play in ensuring the safety of our students and building relationships and trust within our community,” Superintendent Michael Robinson said in a news release issued Monday. “At the same time, it is equally important that accountability is upheld when incidents like this occur. The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our highest priority.”
Even if McCormick would be cleared for the incident, there is “no intention” to bring him back to Firestone due to the district’s agreement with the city, Malik added.
“Per the agreement, Akron Public Schools can request that officers be removed from a specific school or from the program,” Malik said. “So, to the extent that they have done that, we don't have any intention of bringing him back there or attempting to.”
Akron Board of Education reacts
Akron Board of Education Member Barbara Sykes offered an apology to the student and his family during the meeting Monday night.
"I hope that we will work to do everything that we can to help that particular family and that particular student," Sykes said. "I mean, I'm looking at charges that the student has been charged with, and I'm wondering how can a student be charged with trespassing at his school?"
Sykes also said school district staff's role in the incident should be reviewed.
"I think it's important to take a look at what was happening, what the staff was doing... what the staff was not doing, and what our policy says that our staff should be doing," she said.
Later in the meeting, the board also approved $45,000 for additional training for district staff around de-escalation of tense situations; the video does show the building's principal standing near the officers as the incident begins.
Robinson also said the district will be meeting with the city soon to ask further questions about how the city trains police officers.
Vice President Carla Jackson also suggested the district provided more civics training to students, to teach them more about their constitutional rights in situations like these, she said.
