The School to Prison Pipeline by Advancement Project

The School to Prison Pipeline by Advancement Project. (2013, July 3).

This video was made by the Safe Quality Schools organization and the Advancement Project to call a stop to zero-tolerance policies in schools. Harsh school policies and practices and an increased role of law enforcement in schools have combined to create a “schoolhouse-to-prison pipeline,” in which out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and school-based arrests are increasingly used to deal with student misbehavior, especially for minor incidents, and huge numbers of children and youth are pushed out of school and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. This is more than an education crisis; it is a racial justice crisis because the students pushed out through harsh discipline are disproportionately students of color.

In actuality, zero-tolerance makes schools more dangerous. Schools are no longer a safe place for children- especially if they are categorized as high risk (low-income, student of color, or student with disabilities). Students are criminalized by the zero-tolerance policies common to inner city schools. Children are being hand-cuffed and put behind bars and this completely shifts their perception of schooling and themselves in comparison to the rest of society Zero-tolerance is disastrous- it does not work, to feel alienated or constantly watched in a school is harmful to the learning and growing process. Instead of punishing the very students that need us, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves what can be done to help them?