The school-to-prison pipeline causes a significant worry in the US due to its rising trend. The perturbing scenario prioritizes arrests of school children over their paramount education. Unfortunately, this phenomenon targets the less fortunate kids and, on most occasions, those of black origin due to the prevalent racism. In most severe circumstances, even those with learning disabilities are embroiled in this occurrence. The practice hurts the students, community, and schools. Scholars postulate that systemic approaches immensely contribute to this worrying national trend. This paper examines the school-to-prison pipeline by assessing its possible causes and techniques for disrupting its spread.
The school-to-prison pipeline (STP) refers to a system whereby school-going children are kicked out of schools due to violation of discriminatory policies or other school rules and then channeled into the juvenile Justice system (American Civil Liberties Union, 2021). The procedure causes significant concern because it negatively influences the community, schools, and students. It affects the community because such kids are highly likely to drop out of school post-incarceration and then indulge in criminal behavior that disrupts societal peace. The school-to-prison system causes a problem for schools because they miss donor funding due to high suspension rates. The scenario poses a significant problem to students because when suspended, they are highly likely to miss numerous lessons, negatively influencing academic performance and leading to school dropouts.
Clarifying infractions to the students and establishing a conducive school climate that fosters prosocial behaviors and dissuades antisocial behavior are two free techniques for addressing this topic. Teachers are responsible for explaining school rules to the students to avert possible violations. Therefore, they should be on the vanguard, sensitizing the student body on the importance of upholding school rules and the consequences of a breach to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. It would go a long way in inculcating the spirit of obedience to school rules among school children to enable them to be in school instead of juveniles. A multi-agency team composed of community members, families, and staff can play a significant role in creating a conducive school environment that promotes prosocial behaviors by teaching the kids good morals, enabling them to stay in school at all times.
The systemic influences that have contributed to the school-to-prison pipeline are zero-tolerance policies and the increasing number of police officers in schools (Evans & Didlick-Davis,2012). The zero-tolerance policy is a rule in most schools that outlaws minute violations of school regulations. Therefore, it has contributed to the skyrocketing school suspensions, which propels the school-to-prison pipeline. On the other hand, the exponential rise in police officers within schools contributes to the school-to-prison channel because it directly links the school and the juveniles.
Moreover, certain mistakes that the school authorities could have handled are extended to the legal authorities when police officers are present within the school premises. In this regard, the school-to-prison pipeline will remain on an upward trajectory. The systemic solutions to this problem are abolishing stern disciplinary measures within schools and replacing strict corrective protocols with evidence-based activities (Nance,2016). The abolishment of strict discipline protocols like the zero-tolerance policy addresses this problem because it promotes the management of discipline cases by the school authorities rather than juvenile authorities. Substitution of strict disciplines with evidence-based activities like enhancing classroom directives by teachers promotes a conducive learning environment that fosters prosocial behavior. My proposal for dismantling this problem is embracing restorative justice. Restorative justice incorporates the community to examine student misconduct by assessing what may have contributed to the same to avert any possible misbehavior.
References
American Civil Liberties Union. (2021). School-to-Prison Pipeline. https://www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline.
Evans, M. P., & Didlick-Davis, C. R. (2012). Organizing to end the school-to-prison pipeline: An analysis of grassroots organizing campaigns and policy solutions. JEP: EJournal of Education Policy, 1-7.
Nance, J. P. (2016). Dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline: Tools for change. Ariz. St. LJ, 48, 313.
