YOUNGSTOWN — Government classes at East High School this week will learn how the U.S. Bill of Rights comes into play during a traffic stop.

Youngstown police officer Malik Mostella, who works as a security officer in the Youngstown City School District, is spending two days in the government class working with the students.

“I teach a class called ‘The Power Of Words’ where, along with the government classes, we use the Bill of Rights and turn it into a traffic stop,” he said.

He reviews the logistics of a traffic stop with scholars playing the roles of police officer and the vehicle occupants. During the stop, the rest of the class takes notes to compile the arrest reports.

The first class, today, is taught by government teacher Wesley Beam.

From all of the reports written by the students, Mostella chooses the best one and for the second class, on Thursday, the class holds court.

Students play different roles in a court session based on the arrest report.

“They can see how their rights come into play from a traffic stop through the court process,” Mostella said.

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