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Jennifer Smith Richards

I pursue stories about abuses of power — often focusing on schools and education — and stories about private businesses throughout the Midwest.

Need to Get in Touch?

Tips about government and business, particularly in the Midwest, are welcome. I’m also eager to hear from educators and government officials. I want to connect with parents and students experiencing the administration’s policy changes.

What I Cover

My stories focus on abuses by powerful government institutions. Right now, I am reporting on how the Trump administration is reshaping the federal government’s role in schools and education — and what that means for young people. I’m especially interested in shifts in the way students’ civil rights are monitored and enforced at school.

My Background

I began my journalism career writing obituaries in West Virginia, then covering small-town southern Ohio. I’ve written about schools and education at newspapers in Huntington, West Virginia; Utica, New York; Savannah, Georgia; and Columbus, Ohio. Most recently, I worked for the Chicago Tribune, where my work exposed the practice of police issuing tickets to students at school, abusive educators, government misspending, sexual abuse in schools, lapses in police accountability and the mistreatment of students with disabilities. My stories have prompted new state laws, the prosecution of school officials and the creation of child-protection units in school districts and state education departments.

I’m a graduate of Ohio University and I live in Chicago.

The Pandemic and Illinois Schools

Not All Schools Can #KeepLearning

While educators promote online learning as coronavirus spreads, some Illinois students aren’t equipped with the broadband to even notice.

by Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune, and Jodi S. Cohen and Haru Coryne, ProPublica Illinois,

The Quiet Rooms

Illinois Adopts Stricter Rules Against Secluding and Physically Restraining Students in Schools

The state board of education stopped short of a complete ban on seclusion after a small number of special education schools asked for more leeway in dealing with students.

by Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica Illinois,

The Quiet Rooms

School Employees Have Used Isolated Timeouts Illegally, State Investigations Find

In six of eight districts investigators examined, they found that workers broke the law by improperly secluding students. Parents say the investigations, which were prompted by a Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois story, have not gone far enough.

by Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica Illinois,

The Quiet Rooms

Illinois Lawmakers Are Calling for a Nationwide Ban on Isolated Timeouts of Students

Four states currently ban the practice of secluding students at school. Illinois lawmakers want Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to make it 50. “This shouldn’t be controversial,” said U.S. Rep. Sean Casten.

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica Illinois, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune,

The Quiet Rooms

Educators Push to Ban Seclusion of Students and Shift School Culture

Educators who testified before Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday agreed: Shutting students inside closet-sized rooms as punishment is never OK.

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica Illinois, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune,

Illinois Newsletter

Inside a Training Course Where School Workers Learn How to Physically Restrain Students

I wanted to understand if school workers properly used their training in the classroom. They often did not.

by Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune,

The Quiet Rooms

Schools Aren’t Supposed to Forcibly Restrain Children as Punishment. In Illinois, It Happened Repeatedly.

As Illinois moves to restrict the use of physical restraint in schools, records show the practice was often misused, leaving students and staff injured.

by Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune, and Jodi S. Cohen and Lakeidra Chavis, ProPublica Illinois,

The Quiet Rooms

How We Reported This Story

We created the first-ever database of thousands of incidents of restraint and seclusion in Illinois.

by Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune, and Haru Coryne, Jodi S. Cohen and Lakeidra Chavis, ProPublica Illinois,

The Quiet Rooms

A 7-Year-Old Complained About a Scary Office at School. This Is the Video His Parents Saw — a Month Later.

“I want accountability,” the boy’s father said. The video prompted one of 21 investigations into abuse at an Illinois school that secluded students more than 1,700 times last school year.

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica Illinois, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune,

The Quiet Rooms

“None of the Children at the School Are Safe”

One school. 21 abuse investigations. And the struggle to stop relying on seclusion and restraint.

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica Illinois, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune,

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