When law enforcement officers were invited to a local high school to conduct a “drug sweep,” responding officers were taken aback by what a certain social studies classroom had posted about them all over the hall.

After police were called to a high school for a “drug sweep,” they were disturbed by what lined the halls. (Photo Credit: Pixabay)

As the political divide in America intensifies, citizens find themselves pulled to one side or the other on almost every social issue imaginable. Perhaps one of the most controversial subjects of bifurcation is the topic of police brutality, which has understandably aroused passionate discourse but also sometimes violent action from those most strongly affected by the media’s fear-mongering.

Disturbingly, even the public education system isn’t exempt from the flurry of social turbulence, including the debate concerning law enforcement and race relations. In fact, that’s exactly what one police department discovered after it was called out to a local high school for a routine sweep.

Elisabeth Ann Johnson High School (Photo Credit: Screenshot via WNEM)

When law enforcement officers were requested to conduct a “drug sweep” at Elisabeth Ann Johnson High School in Mt. Morris, Michigan, they thought it would be a particularly uneventful call. However, what they witnessed when they arrived at the campus proved that their assignment was about to go beyond the routine and into the deeply personal.

As officers walked into the school, student-made posters “perpetuating the narrative, lies, and victimhood” of “police brutality” lined the halls of the high school, greeting police arriving for the drug sweep, Detective Christopher Weber told Blue Lives Matter. The posters, which were an assignment in a social studies class, reportedly perpetuated the belief that officers regularly use excessive force and conveyed an obvious anti-police message.

“The school administration there requested several K9 teams to do a drug sweep, which is common practice for many schools in Genesee County,” Det. Weber said. “I learned from some of the K9 teams about the posters… and [I] asked to post their pictures in the interest of sharing what, in my opinion, is subject matter inappropriate for a high school.”

Students in a social studies class were required to make posters, some of which perpetuated the narrative of widespread police brutality. (Photo Credit: Screenshot via WNEM)

Det. Weber and his colleagues were understandably perturbed by the message the posters sent. After he voiced his concern on social media, which garnered a slew of comments and shares, Mt. Morris Consolidated School Superintendent Renae Galsterer quickly responded by stating that they wished no offense toward law enforcement officers.

“The officer that took this photo didn’t speak to any school employee about it prior to posting it to social media and commenting on it,” Galsterer told WNEM. “Had we known that an officer [or officers] were offended and upset we would have taken it as a learning opportunity–both for our adults involved and students.”

After insinuating that Det. Weber should not have brought attention to the assignment, Galsterer issued an apology and boasted about the district’s apparent “positive and open professional relationship” with law enforcement.

“Certainly there was no ill intent or disrespect meant by these posters. I sincerely apologize for any message of disrespect or misinformation that was interpreted by the photos or my students’ projects,” Galsterer said. “That was never the intent, and the posters have been removed so that we can study them and create adjustments in future work.”

Although the posters were eventually removed, Detective Christopher Weber believes that the damage has already been done. (Photo Credit: Screenshot via WNEM)

However, Det. Weber admonished Galsterer’s apology, suggesting that although she was “respectful and thoughtful,” her statement “lacked empathy.” He explained that he is further indignant that the school essentially chided him for taking the posters at face value and not coming to the administrators before making the assignment public.

“The superintendent, faculty and many students are effectively doubling down on the insult [by arguing] that I should have investigated further,” he said. “I accept no obligation to do that in order to feel disgusted by this.”

Det. Weber said that while the subject of police brutality is something that deserves discussion, he also believes that the curriculum should reflect the facts, including that instances of such brutality are rare. He added that the class should’ve also covered the other side of the debate, such as the officers’ viewpoints.

“It simply isn’t a large enough societal problem to merit much discussion,” he explained. “Many students obviously have an opinion that diverges from that reality, so cancel the glamorized, juvenile, poster-making entirely.”

(Photo Credit: Felix Koutchinski via Unsplash)

Det. Weber concluded that the assignment was more harmful than educational, adding that it presents only one side of the argument while purposefully omitting essential facts and statistics.

“It simply isn’t a large enough societal problem to merit much discussion,” he explained. “Many students obviously have an opinion that diverges from that reality, so cancel the glamorized, juvenile, poster-making entirely. I think what’s missing from either the assignment, or the students’ comprehension, is math. Based on the content of the posters, the students aren’t being taught multi-varied studies that contradict their sensationalism,” the detective added.

The school has since taken down the posters, but the local police department believes that the damage has already been done in the form of indoctrination.