Expulsions are Up at Morton: ‘I just don't want to be treated this differently’
Illustration by Paintbristle
By Efraín Soriano
From the exterior, the new Morton District 201 office building stands out with its tall glass windows and modern architecture. The building, located on the corner of 58th Ave and Cermak Road, just a few blocks from Morton East, opened in 2018 as the new district administration building for the district. The building is easily accessible by public transportation and appears to provide a convenient location for students and other community members to attend school board meetings.
But the cold exterior is also reflected in its interior. Board meetings happen in a large conference room in the basement level of the building and few community members ever attend the English-only meetings. Usual attendees will sometimes be a few students and parents waiting to hear if the school board will expel them.
Expulsion decisions happen quickly. At most of the board meetings held this school year, the expulsion and suspension announcements have been completed in less than five minutes. In a monotonous tone, the district superintendent reads off the ID numbers of students one by one followed by each decision.
Since October of 2021, the Morton District 201 school board has expelled at least 58 students according to records obtained through FOIA and the school board meeting minutes. Of these students, at least 6 students have been “expelled without services” and the rest have had their expulsions “held in abeyance” pending enrollment at the Morton Alternative School.
According to Superintendent Timothy Truesdale, “expulsions held in abeyance means that the student will not be expelled if they successfully enroll and attend the Morton Alternative School.”
Nathan, 16, and formerly a Junior at Morton East, is one of the students who has been expelled this school year and sent to the Morton Alternative School. Nathan said that he has experienced two separate incidents after school that influenced the actions leading to his expulsion. In the first, a man followed Nathan and his partner from outside Morton East to Nathan’s home. Weeks later, he said a woman attempted to assault him as he walked home from school.
We had a chance to sit down with him, here's what they had to say.
As told to Efraín Soriano.
I was having a bad day, [having] panic attacks. I went into the locker room, changed and went to the gym. I carried my keys as my locker required a key. I had my multipurpose knife on those keys.
Self portrait by Nathan.
The teacher asked us to participate in this activity where we had to run. My chest was hurting and breathing was difficult so I let him know that I wouldn't do it, he interrupted me before I could say why and told me to sit down. As the activity was ending he told me to go walk around with other students. Again I was having trouble with my anxiety and panic attacks and then he calls me and tells me to walk to him. So I go up to him and he grabs my keys. I forgot what he said but I replied with, "it's just a tool" and he replied, "it's just a knife" and told me he'd have to give it to the Dean. I said okay and went back to walking.
I was caught with [these items]. I had one on my keychain and then [the Dean] searched me and they found the other one. The keychain, I just carry that anywhere, like everywhere. [The other], I carried that only for self-defense.
Honestly I don't feel safe at school either. Just like the way I look. I think that a lot of people are not fully accepting of differences. So I think that gives a reason for why I could be attacked. In the halls you hear a lot of people saying the f-slur and t-slur, and even the r-word. So it's not even just gender or sexuality. It’s also about disabilities. That was mostly what made me feel unsafe.
Then right after I got caught I was arrested [by police at school]. Honestly, I don't remember much of it, I blocked it all out but knowing that I blocked it out it probably was a little bit traumatizing because I'm a good kid. It wasn't enjoyable at all.
I didn’t know about the expulsion until the hearing [at the board meeting], like not for a while after. I think it was like another week or two. We were told to be at the board meeting and it would be announced what my choice was, well not my choice, but what would happen to me.
They gave me a chance to speak. I told them the same thing, that I was defending myself, but they still expelled me. So, I don't think that they listened, but they didn't care because they have no tolerance for that.
At first, I was scared [about transferring to Morton Alternative] but now it's just mostly stress. It's a smaller school. The teachers are really nice and stuff. And the work is easy. But at Morton East during the pandemic, I didn't have any motivation. So I didn't go to or attend at all and didn't do my work or anything. That's why I started failing and I didn't get any credits. So that's what I'm recovering right now. There's a website called Odysseyware. It's classes and you do work that gives you credits like 0.5 credit each class. I do those from two to three.
Now in the alternative school because of the stress of Odyssey, I've been thinking more about dropping out and stuff like that. But I know that if I do drop out I won't be able to do what I want, which is to pursue a career in art. There hasn’t been much effort made, [MAS staff] all just tell me to stay.
At Morton East the staff, like principals, the big people, they would always just say ‘mental disability’ a lot. And it felt, they just made it seem like that's all that there was to me. Like they don't see me as a person anymore.
I think that the school system is unfair. My opinion is that this shouldn't have happened. Like it could have been handled better. Since knowing that I'm a good kid, my teachers also approved that I was okay and that I have no problems. I think that the most I should have gotten was a warning from my teacher. Now I'm expelled for the rest of the year. The alternative school said that if I do well then I can probably get back sooner but that's all they told me.
I just don't want to be treated this differently, to be honest, that's all I want.
Efrain Soriano is a contributing reporter for Cicero Independiente. They are a local freelance photographer.
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