The school to prison pipeline. An overview of the issues and potential solutions for reform

AN OVERVIEW OF THE ISSUES AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS FOR
REFORM
THE SCHOOL TO PRISON
PIPELINE

Presented By:
• Kaitlin Banner, Advancement Project,
KBanner@advancementproject.org
• Harold Jordan, ACLU of PA, Dignity in Schools Campaign,
Hjordan@aclupa.org
• Marsha Weissman, Center for Community Alternatives, Dignity
in Schools Campaign,
mweissman@communityalternatives.org
• Fernando Martinez, Dignity in School Campaign,
fernando@dignityinschools.org
Hosted By:

FRAMING THE SCHOOL TO
PRISON PIPELINE

DEFINITION
The policies and
practices that are
directly and
indirectly pushing
students out of
school and on a
pathway to prison.

SUSPENSION AND THE
PATH TO PRISON
• Students are more likely to be retained
• Students are pushed out of school
• Students are less likely to graduate
• Students are more like to get arrested or referred to
the juvenile delinquency

ELEMENTS OF THE SCHOOL
TO PRISON PIPELINE
• Racial & ethnic disparities
• Zero tolerance discipline and school suspension
• Criminalization of normative adolescent behavior
• Police in school
• High stakes testing

DISCUSSION
• What does the school to prison pipeline look like in
your community?
• What challenges have you faced addressing the
school to prison pipeline?
Note: Please type your responses into the question
box on the side of your screen.

“EDUCATION IS THE CIVIL RIGHTS
ISSUE OF OUR TIME”
- US Secretary of State Arne Duncan
Source: Losen….

RACIAL AND ETHNIC DISPARITIES
For every 1 white student
to receive an OSS
…3 black students
received an OSS

CRIMINALIZATION OF NORMATIVE
ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR
“Battery”Pushing & Shoving
Swiping Headphones
Talking Back
“Theft” or “Robbery”
“Disorderly Conduct”

MAJOR TRENDS
• Police presence in schools has been on the rise,
especially in the last 15 years.
• More types of incidents now require police
notification.
• State and federal funding for cops in schools has
expanded.
• Many Zero Tolerance policies have broadened the
definition of “weapon.”

TYPES OF SECURITY
• School Police Officers: typically sworn police officers
on the staff of a district
• School Resource Officers: typically sworn police of
an outside agency assigned full-time to schools.
• Other security (non-police): school staff or private
firm contract staff who do not have police powers.
Most significant - the power to arrest, detain,
interrogate, and issue citations.

CONCERNS ABOUT PLACING
POLICE IN SCHOOLS
• There is a lack of evidence that stationing police in schools makes
schools safer.
• Increased school policing may have negative impacts: expanded
involvement in incidents that might better be handled other ways;
criminalization of school discipline.
• Districts do a poor job of monitoring the consequences and
aftermath of police involvement.
• It is not just about arrests. Police engage in other activities, such as
issuing summary citations, which may have long-term
consequences.
• Insufficient oversight. Formal guidelines are lacking, especially
when it comes to specific prohibitions on police involvement in
specific types of incidents and restrictions on student searches.
• SRO programs raise constitutional concerns: interrogations,
searches w/o proper justification. These can result in the
escalation of incidents.

DISCUSSION
• Who is stationed in/patrolling your school
communities?
Note: Please type your responses into the question box on the side of
your screen.

ECHOES OF THE CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM
HARSH DISCIPLINE THROUGH THE EYES
OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE PIPELINE

THE OFFENSE BEHAVIORS
Damian: “I was suspended ..because I was charged with
persistent disobedience. Like getting in trouble too much and
having teachers complain to the principal … and they were
tired of me and all that stuff.”
• 3.3 million students were suspended out-of-school at
least once and 102,000 were expelled (2006)
• More than 2,600 secondary schools suspended over 25%
of their total enrollment, at least once (2009-10).
• Most suspensions are for minor misbehavior like
“disruptive behavior,” “insubordination” or school fights.
• Racial disparities in who gets suspended: Black students
are far more likely to be suspended for minor or
subjective infractions than are white students.

THE TRIAL
Rashaun: “It’s just like court once you go in there. Pretty much
you go in there [the hearing] - they overrule you and they give
you your time.”
• While students can have an attorney present at
suspension hearings, most families are unaware of this
right or cannot afford to hire an attorney
• Lack of procedural justice undermines willingness to
abide by decisions made by authorities
• Procedural justice requires a real chance to tell one’s
side of the story; a neutral decision maker and; a
respectful process.

THE VERDICT
Roland: “[My suspension hearing was] horrible because of the
things that they were saying….. They was just trying to make me
look like I was a bad kid, like I was literally a nobody and that
hurted me too.”
• American Academy of Pediatrics and American
Psychological Association note negative health and
mental health impact of suspension
• Counters research on adolescent development
• Negative impacts on youth self-esteem
• Increases student alienation from school staff

THE MANDATORY SENTENCE
Ray: “They [school administrators] said to me that they know I
didn’t do nothing wrong, but if my hand touches the knife then
they have no choice but to send me to Brig. But I started crying
because I didn’t understand … because I thought that I was
doing the right thing by taking the knife away so the other
student wouldn’t be hurt.”
• Zero tolerance policies in school discipline modeled after
criminal justice policies – the War on Drugs.
• 1994 Safe and Gun-Free Schools Act- tied mandatory
suspension/expulsion policies to school aid
• Applied to a range of behaviors - not just weapons’
possession

SERVING TIME
Donela: “Brig is like jail… You got to take your shoes off and get
searched. Then when you go up the stairs, you have to take off
all of your clothes, all your, like jewelry and stuff and put it in this
big old box. And then take your shoes off again and put them
in the box. And then walk through the metal detectors and then
you get wanded down. If you beep, they are going to take you
in the bathroom and tell you to empty out all of your pockets.
And then they move around and unzip your pants and all that
stuff.
Characteristics of Disciplinary Alternative Schools
• Higher levels of surveillance
• Shorter school days
• No afterschool activities

REENTRY: CONTINUED STIGMA
AND EXCLUSION
Jena: “He, [the police officer], like he assumes just because now
that I go back to Kennedy, he assume because I fought once,
that I’m a bad girl. He judges me before he knows. He don’t
know me. He don’t know that I’m a good girl.”
• 52% of students who were suspended were suspended
more than once
• Long term consequences:
- Suspension  Dropping out  Unemployment
- Suspension  Dropping out  Incarceration
- Suspension  Barrier to college enrollment

WHAT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
YOUNG PEOPLE RESPOND
Shayna: “It was a Social Studies teacher, like, she was like the
good kind of teacher. She give you a chance. Instead of just
kicking you out for something, she gave you a chance.”
•Caring, patient, teachers and school staff
•Small classes
•Interactive curriculum
•Social supports
•Positive behavioral interventions

DISMANTLING THE SCHOOL
TO PRISON PIPELINE
ORGANIZING, TOOLS, AND SUCCESS ON THE GROUND

DIGNITY IN SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN
Coalition of more than 70 organizations in 20 states
united to challenge school push out and advocate
for human rights to education and dignity

DIGNITY IN SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN
MODEL CODE

OVERVIEW OF DSC MODEL CODE
OVERVIEW OF THE MODEL CODE
1. Education
Full Potential of
Children and
Youth
Core program
elements of the
right to
education
Ensuring Equity
in Education
2. Participation
Stakeholder
Rights
Steps to ensure
meaningful role
in decision-
making
Rights of
Children and
Youth
Rights of Parents
and Guardians
3. Dignity
School Climate &
Discipline
Preventive and
positive
approaches
Avoiding
Criminalization
Right to Remain
in School
4. Freedom from
Discrimination
Eliminating
Discrimination
Practices,
structures and
outcomes
Disproportionate
Discipline
Students with
Disabilities
5. Monitoring &
Accountability
Right to
Information
Disaggregated
and accessible to
communities
Data Collection
Monitoring &
Community
Analysis

LIMITING THE ROLE OF
POLICE IN OAKLAND

BUFFALO PUBLIC SCHOOLS’
NEW CODE OF CONDUCT
Key Elements of Reform:
•Community driven
•Non-punitive approach, emphasizing prevention and effective
intervention
•Limitations on out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and use of
law enforcement
•Alternatives to exclusionary discipline, including restorative
justice
•Strong due process protections
•Parental outreach and engagement
•Data collection and monitoring

ENDING THE SCHOOL
TO PRISON PIPELINE
• Improve the code of conduct to hold students
accountable for minor misbehavior without
excluding them from school
• Examine the root causes of racial disparities and
make a commitment to end them
• Limit the role of law enforcement to serious crimes
• Increase counseling and community intervention
resources
• Give youth and parents a real voice in creating and
implementing positive school discipline

FOR MORE INFORMATION
http://www.aclupa.org/
http://www.advancementproject.org/
http://www.communityalternatives.org/
http://www.dignityinschools.org/
http://www.juvjustice.org/

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