Mississippi Schools Sending Kids To Prison For Misbehaving In The Classroom
In this article it is said that the Department of Justice on Friday uncovered a so-called “School-to-Prison pipeline” in Mississippi, where teachers and principals are shipping off children into the criminal justice system for infractions as small as a dress code violation. A dress code violation!!!!!!!!!! And it is not to my surprise that these students are…black and disabled. Apparently this is not only taking place in Mississippi, but in Atlanta and in schools in New York. I know of a school (I will not name it) where the principal said he would much rather suspend students for the small things that they do, rather than have them suffer for the big things. This philosophy is to try to teach the kids what? That for running in the hallway they could be suspended from school. What administrations are not realizing is that suspensions are on permanent records, which colleges see. If this effort is targeted towards blacks and disabled students (which probably have been labeled as ADD or ADHD students) given medicines that they probably have not needed and that has effected them and have caused other reactions.
Even worse now these students now have a criminal record. What can they do with a criminal record now? They cannot go to college or get a great job, because these schools have decided to come down too harshly on these students.
This quote is at the end of the article and it summarizes my sentiments in regards to this problem, “Schools are supposed to be sanctuaries of education, and the threat of being sent to prison for a minor infraction likely discourages attendance for some at-risk youth.”
