Jodi Cohen (@Jodiscohen) / X

Jodi Cohen

4,534 posts

Jodi Cohen

@Jodiscohen

Reporter @Propublica. Alum @chicagotribune @detroitnews @michigandaily. Mom x 3. The education beat is the best beat. [email protected]

Chicago

propublica.org/people/jodi-co…

Joined March 2009

Pinned
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
Apr 28, 2022
1/ Did you know that police officers regularly issue tickets -- the kind that come with big fines -- to students at school? I didn’t realize how common it was when @jsmithrichards and I started looking into school policing a year ago. Let me tell you what we found…
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
Jul 14, 2020
When I answered the phone, the caller began by asking: “Is there a ProPublica Michigan?” She had a story to tell, about a teenage girl who was in juvenile detention for not doing her online schoolwork during the pandemic. The girl was her daughter.
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
Jul 31, 2020
BREAKING: “Grace,” the Michigan teen who was detained for not doing her online coursework, is to be released from detention “IMMEDIATELY,” according to an order from the Michigan Court of Appeals that I just received.
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
Jul 14, 2020
A high school sophomore is currently in a Michigan juvenile detention center for not doing her online schoolwork during the pandemic. Yes, you read that correctly. I spent time in Michigan learning about Grace and her case. This is her story:
A Teenager Didn’t Do Her Online Schoolwork. So a Judge Sent Her to Juvenile Detention.
From propublica.org
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
May 22, 2024
BREAKING: A former high school student — who fought for years to beat a police ticket that accused her of stealing a classmate’s AirPods — is suing the city of Naperville, IL. The ticket fine was at most $500. The lawsuit seeks damages of $20 million.
Ticketed at School as a Teen, a Young Black Woman Is Suing an Illinois City for Violating Her Civil...
From propublica.org
163K
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
Jan 7, 2021
That’s true. Here’s the story I wrote about that girl, Grace google.com/amp/s/www.prop…
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
Aug 11, 2020
Grace Update: Case closed. The Michigan teen is now free from the court system. In brief hearing, the Oakland County judge took her off probation after caseworker said: "She has been doing very well in the home since she has been returned to mother."
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
Jul 15, 2020
Replying to @Jodiscohen
As a journalist, I’m so heartened to see people take interest in this story. If it’s helpful, I hope you’ll reply here to connect with one another and share. bit.ly/2OqL9ys
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
Jul 14, 2020
Replying to @Jodiscohen
But what did Grace’s teacher have to say? She had told Grace’s caseworker that the teenager was “not out of alignment with most of my other students.” “Let me be clear,” she wrote, “this is no one’s fault because we did not see this unprecedented global pandemic coming.”
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
Jan 7, 2021
Replying to @Jodiscohen
And if you want to feel some hope right now, here’s how Grace is doing now after she was released from detention
Out of Jail and Back in School, Grace Finds Her Voice
From propublica.org
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
Jul 15, 2020
Replying to @Jodiscohen
This story has exploded since @ProPublicaIL w/ @freep and @BridgeMichigan published it this morning. What I’ve seen: - #FreeGrace trending here on Twitter - a Change.org petition - People wanting to provide financial and legal help, and tutoring, to Grace.
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
Oct 31, 2020
I recently spent the day with Grace, the teen I wrote about this summer who was sent to juvenile detention after not doing her schoolwork. This is the first time Grace has spoken publicly about her case. She has a lot to say.
Out of Jail and Back in School, Grace Finds Her Voice
From propublica.org
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
Jul 14, 2020
Replying to @Jodiscohen
Grace was detained even though @Govwhitmer encouraged judges to keep juveniles out of detention and release any who weren’t a “substantial and immediate safety risk to others.” (Judge Brennan declined through a court administrator to comment on Grace’s case.)
Jodi Cohen
@Jodiscohen
Jul 14, 2020
Replying to @Jodiscohen
(There’s no ProPublica Michigan, but I started looking into it anyway.) A bit about the girl, Grace: she’s a HS sophomore. She’s been raised by her mother. She likes winter sports, road trips and composing music, her mother says. They appeared in a “Pure Michigan” tourism ad.