Found 202 matches.
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How to Use Mapping Transformative Schools: Tip Sheet
Tags: General System Reform | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Restorative Justice | Advocacy | NJJN Publications
Tips for using NJJN's Policy Platform Mapping Transformative Schools: From Punishment to Promise. Includes communications messaging guide.
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Mapping Transformative Schools: From Punishment to Promise
Tags: General System Reform | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Prevention | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Restorative Justice | Advocacy | NJJN Publications
Mapping Transformative Schools: From Punishment to Promise. In this latest policy platform from NJJN, we outline the importance of transforming schools into cultures of opportunity and away from cultures of surveillance and punishment.
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The Positive School Discipline Institute: Envisioning a Different Way Forward
Tags: Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Presentations
Presentation by JauNae Hanger, JD, President and Executive Director of the The Children’s Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana. Presented during a webinar hosted by NJJN: Ending Punitive School Discipline and Pivoting to Positive Initiatives, March 15, 2022.
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Support for Counseling Not Criminalization Bill
Tags: Federal | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Advocacy
516 ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS SUPPORT THE COUNSELING NOT CRIMINALIZATION IN SCHOOLS ACT
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The Presence of School Resource Officers (SROs) in America's Schools, Justice Policy Institute, July 2020
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research | Partner Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Communities across the country have come together to demand meaningful changes to law enforcement practices in the wake of the tragic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Rayshard Brooks at the hands of the police. The focus has rightly been on how deadly police actions have had an outsized impact on communities of color. These calls for action have delivered some immediate victories, including changes in leadership in some law enforcement agencies as well as cultural paradigm shifts, such as calls to defund the police and invest those resources into community-designed and community-owned public safety strategies. Minneapolis, the epicenter of the movement, passed legislation to dismantle the police department and revisit that city’s law enforcement and public safety strategies.i This movement for reform extends beyond municipal police departments. In fact, one of the first demands from community advocates in Minneapolis was to remove police from within city schools.
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Intersectional Justice in Practice
Tags: Federal | North Carolina | LGBTQ Youth | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Prevention | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Victims | Advocacy | Presentations | Reports | Research | Partner Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
This powerpoint from NJJN Forum 2018 was put together by Ames Simmons, Director of Transgender Policy at Equality North Carolina, and addresses potential legislative responses to discriminatory policies and practices that unfairly target LGBTQ youth.
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LGBTQI Youth in Juvenile Justice Settings: Closing the Gap between Recommended Practice and Reality
Tags: Federal | New York | Collateral Consequences | Crime Data and Statistics | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | LGBTQ Youth | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Prevention | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Evidence-Based Practices | Advocacy | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Court Decisions and Related Documents | Legislation | Presentations | Reports | Research | Partner Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
This presentation from NJJN Forum 2018 was developed by Currey Cook, Youth in Out-of-Home Care Project Director at Lambda Legal, and provides information on how LGBTQ youth are disproportionately represented in the justice system and legal protections granted to members of the LGBTQ community.
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How to Keep Kids in School and Out of Jail Powerpoint Presentation
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Presentations
How to Keep Kids in School and Out of Jail PowerPoint Presentation
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BULLIES IN BLUE: THE ORIGINS AND CONSEQUENCES OF SCHOOL POLICING
Tags: Federal | Texas | Washington | Crime Data and Statistics | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Family and Youth Involvement | Gangs | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research
This report explains the unfavorable result of school policing, especially in low-income Black and Latino communities with the evidence from some states. Police is often seen using force or violence against youth, such as arresting and handcuffing students, even for minor crimes or misbehaviors. In addition, more presence of police in school including their presence in a classroom has increased fear among them. All these facts help support why schooling policing should be reconsidered.
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Be Her Resource: A Toolkits About School Resource Officers and Girls of Color
Tags: Girls | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Over the past several decades, police officers have become a familiar and growing presence in our nation’s schools. Initially deployed in response to school shootings, these officers — known as school resource officers (SROs) — have, over time, become increasingly involved in students’ everyday lives. While the presence of law enforcement on campus signals a prioritization of student safety, it has also produced undesired consequences associated with the surveillance and criminalization of youth. Most significantly, it has been shown to result in an increase in arrests and other forms of student contact with the juvenile justice system — particularly for students of color.
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Seattle and King County leaders oppose youth detention center
Tags: Washington | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Public Opinion and Messaging | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Restorative Justice | Media | Reports
The proposal to build Children and Family Justice Center (CFJC) in Seattle’s Central District must be redesigned to achieve ending the school-to-prison pipeline and ensure children and families in crisis are served with a model justice system.
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California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice---Three Years of Legislative Victories: 2014 - 2016
Tags: California | Collateral Consequences | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Confidentiality | Crime Data and Statistics | Detention | General System Reform | Girls | Institutional Conditions | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
Capsule summary of youth justice reform legislation NJJN member CAYCJ worked to pass 2014-2016.
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Missouri dooms countless children to the school-to-prison pipeline
Tags: Missouri | Collateral Consequences | Detention | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Media | Reports
The school-to-prison pipeline is about to get worse. Missouri will soon charge students who get into fights with felonies. A Missouri state statute that goes into effect on Jan. 1 will no longer treat fights in schools or buses as a minor offense, regardless of a young person’s age or grade. Instead, School Resource Officers (SROs) and local law enforcement will now intervene by arresting and charging them with assault in the third degree — a Class E felony.
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Persistent Racial Inequality in School Arrest Rates in Connecticut
Tags: Connecticut | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Declines in school arrest rates are not equal for all students. Racial disparities persist, and students of color continue to experience the highest school arrest rates, black and Latino youth was more than three times that of white students.
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State and Federal Policy: Incarcerated youth
Tags: Federal | National | Aftercare/Reentry | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Partner Publications
Racial disparities among youth and barriers to education leads to improvements needed for policy reform surrounding academic outcomes.
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The Right to Remain a Student: How California School Policies Fail to Protect and Serve
Tags: Federal | California | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Fact Sheets and Briefs
A report explaining how increased student-police interactions in California schools has funneled thousands of students into the school-to-prison pipeline.
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New Information About the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Up to Nine in Ten Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth Have Been Disciplined in School
Tags: Federal | Deinstitutionalization | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Research
This policy brief addresses issues of the School-to-Prison Pipeline in discussion with data based on a surveys of seven detention halls across the country, who's finding show that 9 in 10 detained and incarcerated youth were suspended or expelled before entering the justice system.
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The Path From School Suspensions to Youth Incarceration in California
Tags: California | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research
A report discussing how suspensions dramatically increased the chance that youth will be detained or incarcerated in California. Data also shows how youth of color are more likely to become incarcerated than their counterparts.
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Racial Equity Report Card: North Carolina
Tags: North Carolina | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
This report published by member Youth Justice of North Carolina; data snapshot of racial disproportionalities that exist in a North Carolina's public education and youth justice systems.
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In Memphis, Youth Who Have Moved Through the School-to-Prison Pipeline Are Helping to Change It
Tags: Tennessee | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Media
Profile of a program run by Mahal Burr and Evan Morrison, who will receive a 2016 Award for Leadership in Youth Justice Reform from NJJN on July 26, 2016.
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WA Fourth Substitute House Bill 1541 (4SBH 1541)
Tags: Washington | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Legislation that explicitly requires school districts in state of Washington to continue providing educational services to students who are suspended or expelled, equivalent to those they would receive in school.
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Report on the Evaluation of Judicially Led Responses to Eliminate School Pathways to the Juvenile Justice System
Tags: California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Indiana | Kentucky | Massachusetts | Maryland | Michigan | North Carolina | New Mexico | Tennessee | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research
Report on judicially-led collaboratives to reduce stringent school discipline and referrals of youth to juvenile courts for school-based behaviors. Discusses findings and some lessons learned. (Copyright 2015, released in June 2016.)
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Metropolitan Congregations for St. Louis, Break the Pipeline press packet, May 2016
Tags: Missouri | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Media
Press packet for launch of campaign to end the criminalization of youth of color.
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Disparate Impact under Title VI and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Court Decisions and Related Documents
This memorandum is intended to provide a general practice guide on the disparate impact doctrine under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d, et seq.3 This overview focuses on how traditional public school and public charter school discipline policies and programs disproportionately impact students of color, a pattern known as the “school-to-prison pipeline” (“STPP”) .
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Improving Educational Opportunities for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: Snapshot, NJJN
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Correctional Education | NJJN Publications
Summary of the barriers youth in the justice system face to accessing appropriate educational resources, and policy recommendations to overcome them.
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Instead of Suspension: Alternative Strategies for Effective School Discipline
Tags: North Carolina | National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research
This report includes a compendium of alternatives to suspension and brief profiles of examples of where those alternatives are in place. It is a unique and valuable resource for school boards, school administrators, teachers, and others who are rethinking their approaches to school discipline without compromising the learning opportunities or safety of the school community as a whole. The report will acquaint school districts with a range of approaches to school discipline. Some are proven, others are promising. All have the potential to foster better school climates and better student outcomes.
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Protecting Childhood: A Blueprint for Developmentally Appropriate School Policing in Virginia
Tags: Virginia | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research | Member Publications
The report describes the problems with school policing in Virginia and then provides recommendations for reforms. The appendices include tools for lawmakers and policymakers, such as a model memorandum of understanding (MOU) that school divisions and law enforcement agencies can use to incorporate best practices. The goals of the report are two-fold: 1) to stress the acute need for reform and create a more nuanced understanding of specific problems related to school policing; and 2) to advance proven reforms.
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Black, Brown, and Over-Policed in L.A. Schools
Tags: California | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research
Structural Proposals to End the School-to-Prison Pipeline in the Los Angeles Unified School District and to Build a National Movement to Stop the Mass Incarceration of Black and Latino Communities.
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Pinellas Country Schools Report Card
Tags: Florida | Crime Data and Statistics | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Fact Sheets and Briefs
A fact sheet laying out Florida schools and the disparities black students face regarding school discipline, equality, academic outcomes, and school arrests. As well as possible remedies and recommendations by the Florida Association of school Psychologists.
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National Disability Rights Network: Recommendations Regarding School Policing
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
The National Disability Rights Network provides recommendations for federal guidance on school police's behavior in response to nonviolent misbehavior or students in schools.
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School Discipline & Security Personnel: Tip Sheet
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | NJJN Publications
School resource officers tend to criminalize normal adolescent behavior and disproportionately impact youth of color, contributing to racial and ethnic disparities in the justice system. This tip sheet offers strategies to enhance safety and diminish police contact with schoolchildren.
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Better Than Zero: How Alternative Discipline is Replacing Zero-Tolerance in Schools
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
This paper takes a high-level look at the current national conversation and policy changes surrounding the school-to-prison pipeline, and a closer look at how zero-tolerance policies in particular are changing nationally and in several states, including some alternatives that have delivered promising results.
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New Law Part of Effort to Block School-to-Prison Pipeline
Tags: Indiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Media
News story on efforts to address Indiana's school-to-prison pipeline. NJJN member, Children's Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana, interviewed.
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School Discipline - Student Code of Conduct Tips and Examples - Advancement Project
Tags: California | Colorado | Maryland | Pennsylvania | National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Partner Publications
Model conduct codes and tips from the Advancement Project for schools and advocates seeking to reform their school disciplinary policies to eliminate exclusionary discipline and address racial disparities. Examples from five states.
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Power in Partnerships: Building Connections at the Intersections of Racial Justice and LGBTQ Movements to End the School-to-Prison-Pipeline
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | LGBTQ Youth | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Over the last decade, the school-to-prison pipeline has gone from a fringe educational issue to a national youth-led movement anchored by grassroots communities across the country. Because of the school-to-prison pipeline’s unique effects on students of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students, and especially LGBTQ students of color, the issue has provided an opportunity for powerful intersectional work among the racial justice community and the LGBTQ community. And while we have made a lot of progress by harnessing our joint power, we would like to—and desperately need to—build even more. This is essential if we are going to win. Power in Partnerships is a resource for all racial justice and LGBTQ groups to help build or continue to build that power.
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Are We Closing the School Discipline Gap? (Center for Civil Rights Remedies)
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
The main body of this report from the Center for Civil Rights Remedies documents gross disparities in the use of out-of-school suspension experienced by students with disabilities and those from historically disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and gender subgroups. The egregious disparities revealed in the pages that follow transform concerns about educational policy that allows frequent disciplinary removal into a profound matter of civil rights and social justice. This implicates the potentially unlawful denial of educational opportunity and resultant disparate impact on students in numerous districts across the country.
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Class, Not Court: Reconsidering Texas' Criminalization of Truancy - Texas Appleseed
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Reports | Member Publications
This report continues Texas Appleseed's school-to-prison pipeline work by delving into how Texas' approach to truancy is driving more children away from school and into the adult criminal courts. Te report explores causes of truancy, evaluates the current approaches to addressing truancy, highlights the disproportionate impacts of truancy charges on certain groups of students, and makes recommendations for ways that the Texas Legislature, the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and school districts can increase attendance and help children in a meaningful way.
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Virginia H.B. 1443 - Restraint and Seclusion
Tags: Virginia | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
2015 Virginia bill H.B. 1443 requiring restrictions be placed on the use of restraint and seclusion in public schools.
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Virginia S.B. 782 - Restraint and Seclusion
Tags: Virginia | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
2015 Virginia S.B. 782 requiring restrictions be made on the use of restraint and seclusion in schools.
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From Playgrounds to Prisons: An updated look at school-based arrests in Arkansas
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research | Member Publications
Each year, law enforcement action is taken in more than 3,000 incidents in Arkansas schools. The data show that the majority of children in the state of Arkansas affected by school policing are arrested for nonviolent offenses. This finding is consistent with the nationwide trends. Across the country, millions of students are being removed from their classrooms each year for minor misconduct.
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The SBDI Toolkit: A Community Resource for Reducing School-Based Arrests
Tags: Connecticut | National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Toolkit developed based on the Connecticut model to divert school-based youth arrests.
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The Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice 2013 Recommendations to the President, Congress, and OJJDP Administrator
Tags: Federal | National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Family and Youth Involvement | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Evidence-Based Practices | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Reports
The Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice makes policy recommendations on topics of evidence-based practices, youth engagement, youth justice and schools, and disproportionate minority contact, as well as strongly urging the president, congress, and OJJDP to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention act.
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LGBTQ Youth of Color: Discipline Disparities, School Push-Out, and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Tags: National | LGBTQ Youth | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research | Partner Publications
LGBT students are at an increased risk for verbal and physical harassment and assault, mental illness and suicide, harsh disciplinary policies that contribute to school push-out, etc. This study finds that schools are hostile spaces to many students of color.
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LGBTQ Youth of Color: School Discipline Disparities Recommendations
Tags: National | LGBTQ Youth | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
New research from GSA Network and Crossroads Collaborative finds that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, gender nonconforming youth, and youth of color not only face bullying and harassment from peers, but also harsh and disparate discipline from school staff, relatively higher levels of policing and surveillance, and blame for their own victimization. Based on these findings, Advancement Project and GSA Network make the following recommendations for youth, teachers, school administrators, and policy makers.
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Agenda: Summit on Equitable School Discipline and Decriminalization of Children
Tags: Indiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
Agenda for the Children's Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana's Summit on Equitable School Discipline and Decriminalization of Children.
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CPLI Decriminalization of Youth Workgroup Summary of Issues and Recommendations
Tags: Indiana | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
The Children's Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana's Decriminalization of Youth Workgroup penned this document highlighting key issues and recommendations to reform the youth justice system in Indiana.
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Equitable School Discipline Workgroup Summary of Issues and Recommendations
Tags: Indiana | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
The Children's Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana's School Discipline Workgroup summarized central issues and recommendations for reforming school discipline policy in Indiana.
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Letter: Militarizing School Police and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
A letter co-authored by Texas Appleseed urging an end to the transfer of military weapons to school climates.
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Indiana School Discipline Data: In-School and Out-of-School Suspensions
Tags: Indiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
Data on school discipline collected by member organization the Children's Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana.
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Kentucky S.B. 200, 2014 (Juvenile Justice System Reform)
Tags: Kentucky | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Legislation
The full text of Kentucky's 2014 S.B. 200, an omnibus bill that requires sweeping changes to the state's juvenile justice system.
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Breaking School's Rules: A Statewide Study of How School Discipline Relates to Students' Success and Juvenile Justice Involvement
Tags: Texas | National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Research
This combined report by the Justice Center and Public Policy Research Institute shows that students who receive more school disciplinary action have a greater likelihood of becoming involved with the juvenile justice system. The research also shows that more focus needs to be put towards whether these school disciplinary actions are having the deterring effect they are intended to.
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California Bans Incarceration of Truant Youth
Tags: California | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Legislation
Senate Bill 1296 prohibits a court from securely detaining or otherwise taking into custody youth who were adjudicated truant and failed to comply with a valid court order to attend school. The legislation authorizes a court to issue any other lawful order, as necessary, to secure the youth’s attendance at school. Although past laws specifically prohibited incarceration of adjudicated truants, court decisions had created a loophole. The decisions held that when a youth had been ordered to attend school and still failed to do so, the court was then permitted to incarcerate that youth for violating court orders. This legislation closed that loophole and decriminalized truancy. Senate Bill 1296 was authored by Senator Mark Leno and signed into law on June 28, 2014.
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Suspension and expulsion patterns in six Oregon school districts
Tags: Oregon | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
This study highlights student exclusionary patterns in urban school districts in Oregon during the 2011-12 school year. The study examines exclusionary discipline by grade, gender, race/ethnicity, and special education status.
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The School Discipline Consensus Report
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Strategies from the field to keep students engaged in school and out of the juvenile justice system. Published by the Council of State Governments.
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Just Learning: The Imperative to Transform Juvenile Justice Systems Into Effective Educational Systems - Executive Summary
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Correctional Education | Reports | Research
Exec. summary of Southern Education Foundation survey of the educational provisions of Southern youth justice facilities. The data shows that both state and local juvenile justice systems are failing profoundly in providing adequate, effective education in the South and the nation.
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Just Learning: The Imperative to Transform Juvenile Justice Systems Into Effective Educational Systems
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research
This study by the Southern Education Foundation surveys the educational provisions of Southern youth justice facilities. The data shows that both state and local juvenile justice systems are failing profoundly in providing adequate, effective education in the South and the nation.
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CIVIL RIGHTS DATA COLLECTION - Data Snapshot: School Discipline
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research
The Civil Rights Data Collection branch of the U.S. Department of Education's latest (2014) data snapshot regarding civil rights and school discipline.
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Restorative Practices: Fostering Healthy Relationships & Promoting Positive Discipline in Schools
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Restorative Justice | Research | Web-Based Tools
The Advancement Project's toolkit for implementing restorative practices in the classroom.
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Discipline Disparities Series: Eliminating Excessive and Unfair Exclusionary Discipline in Schools Policy Recommendations for Reducing Disparities
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Research
This section of the Discipline Disparities Series offers policy suggestions for reducing excessive and unfair disciplinary practices in schools.
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Discipline Disparities Series: New and Developing Research on Disparities in Discipline
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline
The Discipline Disparities Research to Practice Collaborative, within a national context of troubling disparities and promising solutions, has used information from stakeholder groups, as well as knowledge of the current status of research in the field, to craft this series of informational briefs and supplementary research papers with targeted recommendations customized for different audiences. This piece is concerned with new research in the field.
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Overview: Discipline Disparities
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Research
The Discipline Disparities Research to Practice Collaborative, within a national context of troubling disparities and promising solutions, has used information from stakeholder groups, as well as knowledge of the current status of research in the field, to craft this series of informational briefs and supplementary research papers with targeted recommendations customized for different audiences.
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Executive Summary: Discipline Disparities
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research
The Discipline Disparities Research-to-Practice Collaborative's three-part Disciplinary Disparities Briefing Paper Series about disparities in school removal and research based interventions, conducted by a national group of researchers, educators, advocates and policy analysts, and funded by Atlantic Philanthropies and Open Society Foundations.
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Appendix 1: Directory of Federal School Climate and Discipline Resources
Tags: Federal | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Web-Based Tools
Appendix 1 of the Department of Education and Department of Justice's federal guidelines on school discipline. Provides a list of resources related to school climate and school discipline.
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Appendix 2: Compendium of School Discipline Laws and Regulations for the 50 States, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico
Tags: Federal | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation | Research | Web-Based Tools
Appendix 2 of the Department of Education and Department of Justice's federal guidelines on school discipline. This appendix compiles laws and regulations regarding school climate and school discipline for each state in the U.S., plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
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Guiding Principles: A Resource Guide for Improving School Climate and Discipline
Tags: Federal | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Web-Based Tools
The Department of Education and the Department of Justice's joint federal resource guide for improving school climate and discipline.
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A Generation Later: What We've Learned about Zero Tolerance in Schools
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
The Vera Institute's Center on Youth Justice has recently released a report titled, "A Generation Later: What We've Learned about Zero Tolerance in Schools." The report examines research that has investigated "zero tolerance" school discipline policies that rely heavily on suspension and expulsion to respond to student misbehavior. The research indicates that not only have schools not become safer under these extreme policies, they may in fact have the opposite effect.
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Black, Brown, and Over-Policed in L.A. Schools
Tags: California | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Structural proposals to end the school-to-prison pipeline in the Los Angeles Unified School District and to build a national movement to stop the mass incarceration of Black and Latino communities. This report comes from The Strategy Center.
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Criminalizing Normal Adolescent Behavior in Communities of Color: The Role of Prosecutors in Juvenile Justice Reform
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Research
Professor Henning implores juvenile prosecutors to resist external pressures to respond punitively and symbolically to exaggerated perceptions of threat by youth of color and envisions a path toward structured decision making at the charging phase that is informed by research in adolescent development, challenges distorted notions of race and maturity, and holds prosecutors accountable for equitable decision making across race.
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Broward County School District Agrees to Curb the Role of Police in Schools
Tags: Florida | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | School-to-Prison Pipeline
Florida’s second-largest school district signed a memorandum of understanding with juvenile justice stakeholders to limit law enforcement’s role in school discipline. The parties agreed to virtually eliminate arrests for school-based incidents involving misdemeanor offenses committed by students. Prior to this agreement, Broward County led the state, with 1,062 arrests from its schools in 2011-12, 71 percent of which were for misdemeanor offenses. The agreement ensures that schools limit the involvement of law enforcement officers only to behavior that threatens the physical safety of students and staff. The agreement is embedded in the student code of conduct and a discipline matrix that guides school officials’ responses to student misbehavior. In addition, the agreement establishes a new program that provides a school-based alternative to arrest and suspension, mandates training, and requires the collection and assessment of discipline data. Memorandum of understanding signed November 5, 2013.
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Limits Placed on the Filing of Juvenile Delinquency Petitions by New Hampshire Schools
Tags: New Hampshire | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Under a new law, HB 433, New Hampshire schools are now required to try to resolve cases of student misbehavior through educational interventions before filing juvenile delinquency petitions, unless an incident presents a “serious threat to school safety,” such as acts involving weapons, controlled substances, sexual assault, or serious bodily injury. School officials—including school resource officers—must attempt to resolve behavioral problems through the school discipline process and engagement of the student’s parents or guardians. If these attempts fail, schools must include in their petition the efforts they have made and the reasons why court intervention is needed. The law includes additional procedural requirements when schools file petitions against youth with disabilities and IEPs (individualized education plans). H.B. 433/Act No. 2013-0198, signed into law July 9, 2013; effective January 1, 2014.
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District Discipline: Overuse of School Suspension and Expulsion in the District of Columbia
Tags: District of Columbia | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
This report, issued by NJJN Member organization D.C. Lawyers for Youth and their Every Student Every Day Coalition, analyzes data concerning suspensions and expulsions in D.C. public schools. The report finds that most suspensions targeted behavior that involved no weapons, no drugs, and no injury to other students, and that suspensions and expulsions were most common among students with special education needs and students living in wards with higher rates of child poverty.
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Throwing children in prison turns out to be a really bad idea
Tags: National | Crime Data and Statistics | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Media
The Washington Post ran this blog article in June, 2013, following research that showed that youth incarceration lowers graduation rates and increases the likelihood that the affected youth will recommit as adults.
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Washington Reforms Exclusionary School Discipline Policies, S.B. 5946
Tags: Washington | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The Washington State Legislature passed a law to reform school discipline policies that exclude youth from school. The law ends the use of indefinite, open-ended exclusions from school; requires emergency expulsions to automatically end or be converted to another corrective action within 10 school days; requires school districts to make reasonable efforts to assist students in returning to school, including convening re-engagement meetings with students and parents to plan for each student’s return; directs the collection of more robust discipline data that will be cross-tabulated, disaggregated, and made publicly available; and requires a discipline task force to develop standard definitions for discretionary disciplinary actions in order to help with data collection and to investigate the provision of educational services during any period of exclusion. S.B. 5946/Act No. 18, signed into law June 30, 2013; effective September 28, 2013.
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Connecticut Creates Raise the Grade Pilot Program for Youth in the Juvenile Justice or Child Welfare System, H.B. 6705/Act No. 13-234
Tags: Connecticut | Crossover and Dual Jurisdiction Youth | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Acknowledging a problematic educational achievement gap between youth in the juvenile justice and/or child welfare systems and those in the general population, the Connecticut General Assembly created the Raise the Grade pilot program. The two-year pilot program—created by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in consultation with the Department of Education—is being implemented in Hartford, Bridgeport, and New Haven and aims to increase the academic achievement of children in DCF custody or who are served by the Court Support Services Division. The legislation includes provisions to help identify youth who are performing below grade level, develop plans to improve their academic performance, facilitate the transfer of academic records, and annually track the academic progress of each youth in state custody. H.B. 6705/Act No. 13-234, signed into law June 19, 2013; effective July 1, 2013.
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Arizona Supreme Court Upholds Fifth Amendment Protections for Youth, State of Arizona v. Hon. Jane A. Butler and Tyler B., CV-12-0402-PR (Arizona 2013)
Tags: Arizona | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Court Decisions and Related Documents
The Arizona Supreme Court upheld the Fifth Amendment rights of a 16-year-old who was arrested, handcuffed, questioned, and had blood drawn at school after being held for two hours without access to his parents. The decision referenced the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in J.D.B. v. North Carolina, 131 S. Ct. 2394 (2011), and held that a youth’s age is relevant when assessing whether he or she voluntarily consented to a blood draw. The court noted that youth “possess less maturity” and stated that “courts should not blind themselves to this reality.” State of Arizona v. Hon. Jane A. Butler and Tyler B., CV-12-0402-PR (Arizona 2013).
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Colorado Limits Detention of Youth for Failure to Attend School , H.B. 1021/Act No. 335
Tags: Colorado | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Colorado school districts must now monitor student attendance, identify students who are chronically absent or habitually truant, and implement best practices to improve student attendance. Schools must work collaboratively with community organizations to create a multidisciplinary plan to improve a student’s attendance and only initiate court proceedings if this plan is unsuccessful. If a student fails to comply with a court order to compel attendance, the law limits detention to no more than five days. Prior to the law’s enactment, a student could be detained for up to 45 days. The law also explicitly requires that school districts provide educational services to juvenile detention facilities that align with the compulsory school attendance requirements and state model content standards. H.B. 1021/Act No. 335, signed into law May 28, 2013; effective August 7, 2013.
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Juvenile Court and School Safety Workgroup Aims to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities through Diversion of School-Based Arrests and Court Referrals
Tags: Maryland | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The newly established Prince George’s County Juvenile Court and School Safety Workgroup is to develop interagency policies to reduce the number of school-based arrests and referrals to court by diverting youth to community-based programs. The initiative is modeled after similar reform work in Clayton County, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; and Baltimore, Maryland and is intended to be part of broader, statewide detention reform in Maryland. The group’s overarching goal is to reduce the over-representation of African-American youth in the system. The group submitted a report in December 2013 that reviews school arrest data and offers recommendations for interagency policies and diversion mechanisms, ways to reduce arrests through diversion to existing school and community-based programs, ways to reduce the over-representation of African-American youth in the county’s juvenile justice system, and specific criteria for diversion programs. H.B. 1338/Act No. 677, signed into law May 16, 2013; effective June 1, 2013.
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Los Angeles Bans Suspensions for Willful Defiance
Tags: California | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The Los Angeles Unified School District voted to ban suspensions for willful defiance, passing a School Climate Bill of Rights with a five-to-two vote. Prior to the ban, students who failed to comply with any policy or instruction given by teachers or school administrators—including wearing baggy pants or talking back—were automatically suspended due to zero-tolerance policies. The ban stemmed from concerns that the existing policy was excessively harsh and disproportionately affected students of color, and from the acknowledgment that removing students from school can lead directly to involvement in the juvenile justice system. The ban provided momentum for a pending bill that would institute a statewide ban on suspensions for willful defiance (A.B. 420). The School Climate Bill of Rights also requires schools to exhaust all alternatives to suspension prior to suspending a student; develop and implement restorative justice practices; provide students and parents with data on suspensions, expulsions and arrests; use school-wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports; limit involvement of school police in non-threatening school discipline actions; and provide notice to parents and students of their right to appeal a suspension. Passed May 14, 2013.
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Schools Gain Clear Authority to Handle Offenses Internally, without the Filing of a Petition, H.B. 1864
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline
Virginia law now allows schools to handle school-based offenses through graduated sanctions or educational programming, rather than the filing of a delinquency petition. Prior law specified school-based offenses that had to be reported to law enforcement; an amendment clarifies that schools are not required to file petitions for all reportable offenses, thereby decreasing the number of school-based offenses handled by the court system. H.B. 1864/Act No. 800, signed into law May 3, 2013; effective July 1, 2013.
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Indiana Legislature Requires Schools to Develop Plan on Seclusion and Restraint in School
Tags: Indiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The Indiana General Assembly established the Commission on Seclusion and Restraint in Schools, charged with adopting rules concerning the use of restraint and seclusion in schools. The legislation required the commission to develop a model restraint and seclusion plan by August 1, 2013. The model plan focuses on prevention, use of positive behavior interventions and supports, teacher training, parental notification, and use of restraints and seclusion only as a last resort and for as short a time as possible. The model plan states that seclusion and restraint must never be used as punishment or discipline, as a means of coercion or retaliation, or as a convenience. All schools were required to adopt a seclusion and restraint plan by July 1, 2014. S.E.A. 345/P.L. 122-2013, signed into law April 30, 2013
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Virginia Avoids Attempt to Increase Police in Schools, H.B. 2347
Tags: Virginia | Fiscal Issues and Funding | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Despite the governor’s recommendations to his School and Campus Safety Task Force that the state spend an additional $33 million on school policing, security, and mental health, the task force did not endorse bills to place a school resource officer (SRO) in every Virginia school (including elementary schools). The final budget included only $1.3 million in new funding for SROs and a revolving fund for safety-related infrastructure improvements. Two bills that would have greatly increased sharing of juvenile law enforcement records (H.B. 2347 and H.B. 2344) were also scaled back.
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Statement by Youth of Color on School Safety and Gun Violence in America; Youth Justice Coalition
Tags: California | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
Youth of color make recommendations on school safety and gun violence.
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Virginia Avoids Attempt to Increase Police in Schools, H.B. 2344
Tags: Virginia | Fiscal Issues and Funding | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Despite the governor’s recommendations to his School and Campus Safety Task Force that the state spend an additional $33 million on school policing, security, and mental health, the task force did not endorse bills to place a school resource officer (SRO) in every Virginia school (including elementary schools). The final budget included only $1.3 million in new funding for SROs and a revolving fund for safety-related infrastructure improvements. Two bills that would have greatly increased sharing of juvenile law enforcement records (H.B. 2347 and H.B. 2344) were also scaled back.
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Department of Justice Reaches Consent Decree with Mississippi School District that Violated Constitutional Rights of Youth, John Barnhardt, et al. and United States of America v. Meridian Municipal Separate School District, et al.
Tags: Mississippi | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Court Decisions and Related Documents
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Meridian School District reached a consent decree regarding the district’s denial of substantive and procedural due process to youth through its over- and misuse of arrests and law enforcement intervention. According to the DOJ’s investigation, youth were arrested in school for minor infractions; police arrested youth in schools without investigating the offense at issue; judges rubber stamped cases, issuing detention orders without due process; youth did not receive adequate representation in court; and youth of color and students with disabilities were overwhelmingly affected by the constitutional violations. The consent decree requires the school district to establish safe and inclusive learning environments, provide supports and interventions before removing students from school, limit the removal of students from classrooms as a disciplinary measure, ensure that disciplinary consequences are fair and consistent, establish clear guidelines for law enforcement interventions, create a monitoring and accountability system using data, and train teachers and administrators with the tools to manage schools and classrooms safely and effectively. John Barnhardt, et al. and United States of America v. Meridian Municipal Separate School District, et al., Civil Action No. 4:65-cv-01300-HTW-LRA (S.D. Miss. March 22, 2013).
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Dept. of Justice Consent Decree re: Meridian, Mississippi School District
Tags: Mississippi | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Court Decisions and Related Documents
A 2013 consent decree obtained by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) against the Meridian Municipal Separate School District to redress an unfair school disciplinary policy disproportionately affecting youth of color.
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Virginia Law Clearly Defines Bullying in Order to Avoid Over-Criminalizing Youth, H.B. 1871
Tags: Virginia | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The Virginia General Assembly added a clear definition of bullying to its anti-bullying statute, in order to distinguish true bullying from ordinary peer conflict. Now, bullying is “any aggressive and unwanted behavior that is intended to harm, intimidate, or humiliate the victim; involves a real or perceived power imbalance between the aggressor or aggressors and victim; and is repeated over time or causes severe emotional trauma.” The definition specifically excludes ordinary teasing, horseplay, or arguments. The definition is written in a way that youth can understand, avoiding overly legalistic language, and is intended to be specific enough so that innocent behavior isn’t included. The change is an effort to avoid the overuse of zero tolerance policies and the over-criminalization of normal youth behavior. H.B. 1871/Act No. 575, signed into law March 20, 2013; effective July 1, 2013.
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Virginia Removes Non-Gun Weapons from Automatic Expulsion Statute, H.B. 1866
Tags: Virginia | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Prior to a new legislative change in Virginia, the state’s automatic expulsion statute defined “firearm” to mean guns as well as other weapons that are not guns, such as knives, razor blades, and slingshots. This forced schools to automatically expel any student who brought such an item to school. The law now restricts the definition of “firearm” to actual guns. H.B. 1866/Act No. 288, signed into law March 13, 2013; effective July 1, 2013.
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Juvenile Justice Reform in Connecticut: How Collaboration and Commitment Improved Outcomes for Youth Justice Policy Institute
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Reports | Partner Publications
A look at Connecticut’s juvenile justice system reforms shows how a culture change and major investments in evidence-based services turned a wasteful, punitive, ineffective, and abusive juvenile justice system into a national model, at no additional cost to taxpayers.
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Juvenile Justice Reform in Connecticut: How Collaboration and Commitment Improved Outcomes for Youth Justice Policy Institute [Exec. Summ]
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Partner Publications
A look at Connecticut’s juvenile justice system reforms shows how a culture change and major investments in evidence-based services turned a wasteful, punitive, ineffective, and abusive juvenile justice system into a national model, at no additional cost to taxpayers.
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Palm Beach County School District Settlement Curbs Role of Police in Schools
Tags: Florida | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Court Decisions and Related Documents
After the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice investigated a civil rights complaint filed against the Palm Beach County School District in 2011, the district agreed to a settlement with the Department of Justice in 2013 intended to establish an inclusive and fair school discipline policy. Among other things, schools may no longer use law enforcement officers to respond to behavior that could otherwise be appropriately managed under school disciplinary procedures. Schools may only involve law enforcement when required by state law, when necessary to protect the physical safety of students and staff, or to address the criminal conduct of people other than students. The settlement also ensures due process for students before they are excluded from school, establishes discipline procedures that create a positive school climate, supports language accessibility, and mandates the collection and assessment of discipline data. Settlement agreement between the United States of America and the School District of Palm Beach County, signed February 26, 2013.
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Palm Beach County School District Settlement Curbs Role of Police in Schools, United States of America and the School District of Palm Beach County
Tags: Florida | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Court Decisions and Related Documents
Feb. 2013 settlement agreement between the U.S. Dept. of Justice and Palm Beach school district, designed to end school disciplinary practices that disproportionately and unfairly affected youth of color and youth with disabilities.
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Cops in Schools: a History Lesson (Op Ed)
Tags: Connecticut | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
An op-ed from NJJN member Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance on the drawbacks to putting cops in schools -- especially without training, a job description, or an MOU governing the limits of their authority.
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Adult Decisions: Connecticut Rethinks Student Arrests
Tags: Connecticut | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Member Publications
Several Connecticut towns have dramatically reduced arrests in schools without compromising safety, a report by the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance finds. Profiles three Connecticut towns working to end the overuse of arrest in their schools.
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The Facts About Dangers of Added Police in Schools
Tags: Federal | District of Columbia | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
A fact sheet from The Sentencing Project summarizing research on the effects of increased police presence in schools.
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NJJN Response to President's Plan on Gun Violence (2013)
Tags: Federal | School-to-Prison Pipeline | NJJN Publications
NJJN applauds President Obama's response to the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut and his genuine interest in addressing gun violence. Nevertheless, we discourage any increase in police in schools, because of their adverse impact on students and lack of evidence that they improve school safety.
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Executive Summary - Abandoned in the Back Row: New Lessons in Education and Delinquency Prevention Executive Summary
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
This resource highlights the importance of school resources and effective support programs in ending the school-to-prison pipeline.
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Handcuffs on Success: The Extreme School Discipline Crisis in Mississippi Public Schools
Tags: Mississippi | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
This report focuses on the negative effects of exclusionary discipline in Mississippi's public schools and provides recommendations for legislators.
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CJJ Testimony on the School-to-Prison Pipeline, December 12, 2012
Tags: Federal | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Testimony
Testimony from the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, Executive Director Nancy Gannon Hornberger; presented to Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights on “Ending the School to Prison Pipeline” Wednesday, December 12, 2012.
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Defending Childhood: Report of the Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence
Tags: Federal | Brain and Adolescent Development | General System Reform | Girls | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | LGBTQ Youth | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Prevention | Risk Assessment and Screening | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Victims | Reports
The U.S. Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence report makes recommendations to prevent children from exposure to crime, abuse, and violence; and assist those who have been. Includes recommendations to improve the juvenile justice system.
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Defending Childhood: [Executive Summary] Report of the Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence
Tags: Federal | Brain and Adolescent Development | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Girls | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | LGBTQ Youth | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Prevention | Risk Assessment and Screening | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Victims | Reports
This document summarizes key recommendations from the Attorney General to prevent children from exposure to crime, abuse, and violence; and assist those who have been exposed. Includes recommendations to improve the juvenile justice system. [Executive Summary]
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Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline Hearing Statement by Laurel G. Bellows, on behalf of the American Bar Association
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Testimony
Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline Hearing Statement by Laurel G. Bellows, on behalf of the American Bar Association; submitted for the record to the Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights of the U.S. Senate.
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Reclaiming Students: the Educational and Economic Costs of Exclusionary Discipline in Washington State
Tags: Washington | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Member Publications
This report focuses on the effects of exclusionary discipline in Washington State.
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Breaking Rules, Breaking Budgets: Cost of Exclusionary Discipline in 11 Texas School Districts
Tags: Texas | Fiscal Issues and Funding | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Member Publications
In this report, Texas Appleseed details the cost of the current disciplinary procedures in 11 school districts and recommends strategies for cost-effective school discipline.
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California Encourages Use of Alternative Means of Discipline in Order to Reduce Suspensions and Expulsions
Tags: California | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
A new California law expands the authority of school administrators to use alternative means of discipline before suspending or expelling students, including students with disabilities. Stating an intention to reduce the overuse of suspension and expulsion, particularly of students of color, students with disabilities, LGBT youth, and other vulnerable populations, the law authorizes administrators to use alternatives that “are age-appropriate and designed to address and correct the student’s misbehavior.” Such alternatives include conferences with parents; referrals to a psychologist; enrollment in a restorative justice, anger management, or prosocial behavior program; referral for a comprehensive psychosocial or psychoeducational assessment; positive behavioral supports with tiered interventions during the school day; and after-school programs that address behavioral problems and/or expose students to positive activities. A.B. 1729/Act No. 425, signed into law September 21, 2012; effective January 1, 2013.
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California Limits Mandatory Expulsion
Tags: California | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
A new California law changes the listed offenses for which a youth must be recommended for expulsion from school. Possession of over-the-counter or medication prescribed for the student is now exempt from provisions requiring automatic expulsion for possession of a controlled substance. Additionally, possession of an imitation firearm is no longer an automatic suspension or expulsion offense. The law also authorizes a principal or superintendent to not recommend expulsion for listed offenses if he or she determines that an alternative means of correction would address the conduct. A.B. 2537/Act No. 431, signed into law September 21, 2012; effective January 1, 2013.
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California Schools Prohibited from Denying Entry to Youth Involved in the Juvenile Justice System
Tags: California | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
California amended its education code to prohibit a public school from denying enrollment or readmission to a student solely based upon contact with the juvenile justice system including, but not limited to: arrest, adjudication by juvenile court, formal or informal supervision by a probation officer, or detention for any length of time in a juvenile facility or enrollment in a juvenile court school. S.B. 1088/Act No. 381, signed into law September 19, 2012; effective January 1, 2013.
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Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice (full)
Tags: Family and Youth Involvement | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Youth in the Adult System | Partner Publications
Report from Justice for Families and DataCenter, based on more than 1,000 surveys and 24 focus groups with families of youth who have been in the justice system. The report shows the many ways justice systems have failed youth, families and communities and proposes solutions for transforming youth justice to help our youth succeed and keep our communities safe.
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Schools Gain Discretion in Reporting Minor Offenses, H.B. 243/Act No. 404
Tags: Delaware | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Delaware updated its school code to give schools discretion to handle minor offenses without mandatory reporting to law enforcement (serious offenses must still be reported). Prior to the law, schools were required to report all offenses, no matter how minor. The law also requires that all relevant special education and disciplinary records for students with disabilities be sent to law enforcement to ensure informed charging decisions. H.B. 243/Act No. 404, signed into law and effective August 16, 2012.
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Rhode Island Prohibits Out-of-School Suspension for Truancy, H.B. 7287
Tags: Rhode Island | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The Rhode Island General Assembly passed legislation that prohibits schools from using a student’s truancy or absenteeism as the sole basis for an out-of-school suspension. As a result of the law, Rhode Island schools reported 27 percent fewer out-of-school suspensions during the 2012-2013 school year, as compared with the previous year. H.B. 7287, signed into law and effective May 30, 2012.
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Colorado Eliminates Zero Tolerance and Mandatory Expulsions, H.B. 1345/Act No. 188
Tags: Colorado | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Restorative Justice | Legislation
An amendment to the Public School Finance Act eliminated zero tolerance policies and mandatory expulsions in Colorado. The amendment mandates that school discipline policies include interventions that reduce suspensions, expulsions, and referrals to the justice system and law enforcement, with a focus on prevention, intervention, restorative justice, peer mediation, or counseling. The law also establishes graduated sanctions for students who engage in disruptive behavior and mandates training for school resource officers. Schools and law enforcement agencies must collect data, including total school enrollment, average daily attendance rates, dropout rates, average class size, school bullying policies, and conduct and discipline code violations; the data is to be made available to the public upon request. H.B. 1345/Act No. 188, signed into law and effective May 19, 2012.
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Mississippi Steps Up Dropout Prevention Efforts, Targets Youth Leaving Juvenile Detention, S.B. 2454
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Mississippi amended its laws relating to the state Office of Dropout Prevention to require local school districts to develop dropout plans based on local needs that create measurable student-centered goals and objectives, target specific subgroups that need assistance meeting graduation requirements, and include dropout recovery initiatives for students ages 17 through 21 who have dropped out of school. Plans must specifically address students who are transitioning from juvenile detention centers back into their home districts. S.B. 2454/Act No. 461, signed into law April 23, 2012; effective July 1, 2012.
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Los Angeles Reforms Truancy Law
Tags: California | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
The Los Angeles City Council amended the county’s truancy law, which allowed Los Angeles police to issue tens of thousands of “truancy tickets” to L.A. schoolchildren, even when they were on their way to class. Such tickets carried heavy fines and unnecessarily criminalized youth. Police may no longer issue tickets to students who are on their way or running late to class. Sanctions for the first and second offense are limited to counseling, development of an attendance plan, and/or community service, and third and subsequent offenses may result in a fine not exceeding $20 for any individual youth. The change follows recommendations made by the Los Angeles County Education Coordinating Council and policy changes adopted by the Los Angeles Police Department. Ordinance No. 182084, April 13, 2012.
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The Education of D.C.: How Washington D.C.'s investments in education can help increase public safety
Tags: District of Columbia | Prevention | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Partner Publications
Justice Policy Institute's Paul Ashton emphasizes the well-known importance of education and points to the correlation between education and public safety. He goes on to explain how more focus on the education of youth in Washington D.C. could mean more annual savings on crime-related expenses.
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Educate Every Child: Promoting Positive Solutions to School Discipline in Virginia
Tags: Virginia | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Victims | Reports
This report on the school-to-prison pipeline documents school suspensions/expulsions in Virginia, the negative impact of harsh school disciplinary policies on students and community safety, and offers evidence that an existing program within the schools dramatically reduces the need for expulsion an suspensions, by teaching and supporting positive behavior.
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Education Under Arrest: The Case Against Police in Schools
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline
This report from the Justice Policy Institute concludes that school resource officers (SROs) don’t make schools safer; schools that have them are more likely to arrest their students for misbehavior; sending youth to the justice system makes it harder for them to complete their education; and youth of color and teens with disabilities are unfairly impacted. Among other things, Education Under Arrest recommends that all SROs be removed from schools –- but failing that, it suggests several other ways to avoid unnecessarily sending youth to the justice system for minor infractions.
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Invisible Students: The Role of Alternative and Adult Education in the Connecticut School-to-Prison Pipeline
Tags: Connecticut | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Using Connecticut as a case study, this report sheds light on the alarming rate at which school systems are pushing children with behavioral and academic problems out of the school system and into the juvenile justice system. The report goes on to offer recommendations for juvenile justice reform. Presented by A Better Way Foundation and Connecticut Pushout Research and Organizing Project.
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Education Under Arrest: The Case Against Police in Schools
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
The Justice Policy Institute (JPI) draws attention to the troubling effects that the School Resource Officer is having on America's schools and the juvenile justice system, forcing the questions: Is a school the place for a police presence? And, if so, at what cost?
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Students of the Mass Incarceration Nation, Katayoon Majd, Howard Law Journal
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Research
The article, from the Howard Law Journal, argues that not only do schools contribute to mass incarceration, but mass incarceration policies also negatively affect education, creating a "symbiotic relationship" that can only be dismantled with coordinated effort.
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Legislative Task Force to Study School Discipline, 2011 Report to Legislative Council, November 2011
Tags: Colorado | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
In November 2011, the Juvenile Justice Task Force of the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice submitted a report to the Legislative Council discussing zero tolerance policies, alternative disciplinary measures, victims' rights, school resource officers, and data sharing. The report recommends that the legislature pass a law limiting mandatory expulsion, discouraging referrals to law enforcement, implementing graduated sanctions, and increasing training for school resource officers.
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Executive Summary, School Police Memorandum of Understanding, Sedgwick County, Kansas, October 25, 2011
Tags: Kansas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Sedgwick County, Kansas developed a written agreement between police and public schools to reduce school-based arrests for low-level offenses. The county first developed the agreement with alternative schools in January 2010, expanding the agreement to all Wichita Public Schools in August 2011.
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Telling It Like It Is: Youth Speak Out on the School to Prison Pipeline, Advancement Project and Power U Center for Social Change
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Comic-book style booklet designed in a participatory process with young people in an effort to capture their perspective on harsh school disciplinary practices. The booklet features a dialogue between youth around zero tolerance policies, suspensions, police in schools, and standardized testing.
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Safe and Effective School Disciplinary Policies and Practices, National Juvenile Justice Network Policy Platform
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | NJJN Publications
National recommendations from NJJN on policies and procedures to ensure that youth stay in and graduate from school, and that student misbehavior is handled appropriately and effectively within the school context.
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Police-School Resource Program Presentation, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, July 25, 2011
Tags: Wisconsin | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Presentations
Working with the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative, Outagamie County officials introduced reforms aimed at reducing disorderly conduct arrests in the county’s public schools. The Police-School Resource Program aims to prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice system by linking them with services and supports that address disruptive behavior.
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Connecticut Schools to Address Truancy, H.B. 6499
Tags: Connecticut | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Legislation
State law in Connecticut requires school districts to take additional measures to address truancy and to report annually on their truancy reduction activities. Schools must provide written notice to parents that unexcused absences could result in a complaint filed with the Superior Court. The legislation also requires the State Board of Education to adopt uniform definitions of excused and unexcused absences for districts to use in implementing required truancy policies and filing truancy data reports.
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End Class C Misdemeanor Truancy Prosecutions for Children Under 12, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Fact Sheet on S.B. 1489, 2011
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Schools in Texas are prohibited from ticketing students ages 10-11 and 18-21 for failing to attend school. The law also requires schools to adopt truancy prevention measures in order to reduce truancy referrals to court. Lastly, courts are now required to expunge “failure to attend” convictions if the youth successfully complies with the court’s conditions and obtains a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate by age 21. An additional 2011 Texas law eliminated the practice of issuing tickets to youth in grades six and below for violation of the school discipline code.
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Texas Limits School Ticketing of Youth in Grades Six and Below, H.B. 359
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Schools in Texas are prohibited from ticketing students ages 10-11 and 18-21 for failing to attend school. The law also requires schools to adopt truancy prevention measures in order to reduce truancy referrals to court. Lastly, courts are now required to expunge “failure to attend” convictions if the youth successfully complies with the court’s conditions and obtains a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate by age 21. An additional 2011 Texas law eliminated the practice of issuing tickets to youth in grades six and below for violation of the school discipline code.
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Texas Limits School Ticketing, S.B. 1489
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Schools in Texas are prohibited from ticketing students ages 10-11 and 18-21 for failing to attend school. The law also requires schools to adopt truancy prevention measures in order to reduce truancy referrals to court. Lastly, courts are now required to expunge “failure to attend” convictions if the youth successfully complies with the court’s conditions and obtains a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate by age 21. An additional 2011 Texas law eliminated the practice of issuing tickets to youth in grades six and below for violation of the school discipline code.
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Criteria for Summons Requiring No Further Action, Connecticut Judicial Branch, June 15, 2011
Tags: Connecticut | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Court Decisions and Related Documents
The Connecticut Judicial Branch screens all police summonses for youth arrested for minor offenses in schools in order to determine whether the facts, if true, are sufficient to warrant a court referral and whether the interests of the public or the child require further action. Insufficient summonses will be sent back to police. The judicial branch seeks to reduce the number of arrests made in schools for behavior that could be dealt with by school staff. Specifically, probation supervisors will recommend no further court involvement for typical adolescent behavior, such as wearing a hat in school, talking back to staff, running in the halls, or swearing.
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Template Complaint Return Letter to Police from Connecticut Juvenile Probation Regarding Police Summonses for Minor Offenses
Tags: Connecticut | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Court Decisions and Related Documents
The Connecticut Judicial Branch screens all police summonses for youth arrested for minor offenses in schools in order to determine whether the facts, if true, are sufficient to warrant a court referral and whether the interests of the public or the child require further action. Insufficient summonses will be sent back to police. The judicial branch seeks to reduce the number of arrests made in schools for behavior that could be dealt with by school staff. Specifically, probation supervisors will recommend no further court involvement for typical adolescent behavior, such as wearing a hat in school, talking back to staff, running in the halls, or swearing.
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Template Letter to Police Chief from Connecticut Juvenile Probation Regarding Police Summonses for Minor Offenses
Tags: Connecticut | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Court Decisions and Related Documents
The Connecticut Judicial Branch screens all police summonses for youth arrested for minor offenses in schools in order to determine whether the facts, if true, are sufficient to warrant a court referral and whether the interests of the public or the child require further action. Insufficient summonses will be sent back to police. The judicial branch seeks to reduce the number of arrests made in schools for behavior that could be dealt with by school staff. Specifically, probation supervisors will recommend no further court involvement for typical adolescent behavior, such as wearing a hat in school, talking back to staff, running in the halls, or swearing.
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Washington Standardizes Definition of Unexcused Absence, H.B. 1087
Tags: Washington | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Thanks in part to the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative, and pursuant to legislative requirements, the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction developed a uniform definition of excused and unexcused absences to be used across the state. Prior to the standardization of the definition, schools allowed different numbers of unexcused absences prior to filing a petition in juvenile court. School districts are now required to report school absence data using the new definition.
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Connecticut Juvenile Services Intake Procedures, Screening of All Arrests for Minor Offenses in Schools, Policy No. 74, June 15, 2011
Tags: Connecticut | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Court Decisions and Related Documents
The Connecticut Judicial Branch screens all police summonses for youth arrested for minor offenses in schools in order to determine whether the facts, if true, are sufficient to warrant a court referral and whether the interests of the public or the child require further action. Insufficient summonses will be sent back to police. The judicial branch seeks to reduce the number of arrests made in schools for behavior that could be dealt with by school staff. Specifically, probation supervisors will recommend no further court involvement for typical adolescent behavior, such as wearing a hat in school, talking back to staff, running in the halls, or swearing.
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Colorado Juvenile Justice Task Force to Collect Data on School Discipline Strategies, S.B. 133
Tags: Colorado | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The Juvenile Justice Task Force of the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice must study and collect data on the use of criminal justice sanctions and specific school discipline strategies in Colorado public schools. In November 2011, the task force submitted a report to the Legislative Council discussing zero tolerance policies, alternative disciplinary measures, victims' rights, school resource officers, and data sharing.
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Maryland Creates School Safety Task Force, H.B. 79
Tags: Maryland | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The Maryland General Assembly created the School Safety Task Force in order to make recommendations on school safety training programs; creation of a positive school environment; school safety courses for school police officers; establishment of a clearinghouse for information and materials concerning school safety; and development of model agreements between local school systems, health departments, departments of social services, mental health agencies, and juvenile courts.
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Colorado Limits Court Involvement in School Truancy Issues, H.B. 1053
Tags: Colorado | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Legislation
Judicial proceedings to compel a youth to attend school in Colorado may only be used as a last resort for addressing the problem of truancy. To minimize the need for court action and the risk of detention, such proceedings are now allowed only after a school district has attempted other options for addressing truancy that employ best practices and research-based strategies.
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School Police Memorandum of Understanding, Sedgwick County, Kansas, January 20, 2011
Tags: Kansas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Sedgwick County, Kansas developed a written agreement between police and public schools to reduce school-based arrests for low-level offenses. The county first developed the agreement with alternative schools in January 2010, expanding the agreement to all Wichita Public Schools in August 2011.
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Stopping the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Pipeline by Enforcing Federal Special Education Law, Jim Comstock-Galagan, Southern Disability Law Center and Rhonda Brownstein, Southern Poverty Law Center
Tags: Louisiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Article discussing a promising strategy to address the schoolhouse to jailhouse pipeline, which has led to positive results in Louisiana.
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Zero Tolerance in Philadelphia: Denying Educational Opportunities and Creating a Pathway to Prison, Youth United for Change and the Advancement Project
Tags: Pennsylvania | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report criticizing zero tolerance in Philadelphia schools as a failed policy that makes city schools less safe, criminalizes or pushes out of school tens of thousands of students every year, and creates a school-to-prison pipeline. Philadelphia schools are punishing the same behavior far more harshly than they did just a few years ago, and also appear to be criminalizing its students far more often than other Pennsylvania school districts for the same behaviors.
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Texas' School-to-Prison Pipeline, Ticketing, Arrest & Use of Force in Schools
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline
Documents the explosion in referrals of youth in schools to the courts for low-level infractions that do not compromise safety. Recommends training and policy steps to assist school safety officers and reduce the number of youth sent unnecessarily from school to court.
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The Blame Game: The Winner Loses and the Kids Are Hurt, Judge Steve Teske, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
Tags: Georgia | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Media
Article calling for judges to more actively engage stakeholders in order to reduce arrests in schools.
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Suspended Education: Urban Middle Schools in Crisis
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
After reviewing over 30 years of data from nearly 10,000 middle schools nationwide, this report concludes that suspension is over-used as a disciplinary tool, and that youth of color -- black males especially -- are suspended far out of proportion to their numbers.
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Delaware Schools No Longer Required to Refer Students Between Ages Nine and 12 to Police for Certain Misdemeanors, H.B. 347
Tags: Delaware | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Based on recommendations from the School Discipline Task Force established by the legislature in 2009, school officials no longer have a mandatory obligation to report to the police specific misdemeanor offenses (Assault in the 3rd Degree, Unlawful Sexual Contact in the 3rd Degree, Offensive Touching and Terroristic Threatening) committed by students over the age of nine. The act raises the age of such reporting requirements to 12.
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Strengthening Interagency Partnerships for Safe Schools: A Training Initiative to Reduce Suspensions, Expulsions, and Arrests Through Positive Youth Development Approaches, Fox Valley Technical College, Criminal Justice Center for Innovation, Wisconsin Sc
Tags: Wisconsin | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Wisconsin’s Rock, Kenosha, and Outagamie Counties worked with Fox Valley Technical College to create a curriculum for School Resource Officers (SROs). The curriculum—developed through the counties’ work with the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative—aims to train SROs in alternatives to school-based arrest, and includes information on adolescent brain development, de-escalation techniques, over-criminalization of common youth behavior, the effects of an arrest in school, Motivational Interviewing, and other relevant topics.
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Louisiana Commits to Improved Behavior and Discipline Plans in Schools, S.B. 527
Tags: Louisiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Legislation requires Louisiana schools to develop master plans that provide for the training of teachers, principals, and other school personnel in the areas of positive behavioral supports, conflict resolution, mediation, cultural competence, restorative practices, guidance and discipline, and adolescent development. Public school boards must provide ongoing classroom management courses and regularly review discipline data from each school to determine what additional training is needed and what additional classroom support activities should be provided.
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Maryland Requires Cultural Competency Training for Police in Schools, H.B. 983
Tags: Maryland | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The Maryland General Assembly enacted a “Cultural Competency Model Training Curriculum” law that requires the Maryland Police Training Commission to develop a cultural competency model training curriculum for law enforcement and school resource officers assigned to public schools. The goal of the training is to provide officers with resources and tools to reduce school arrests.
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Texas' School-to-Prison Pipeline, School Expulsion: The Path from Lockout to Dropou
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline
Report analyzes expulsion data and policies in Texas schools and finds that unnecessary discretionary expulsions outnumber mandatory expulsions two-to-one, unintentionally feeding teens into the juvenile justice system Contains policy recommendations.
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Indiana Establishes a Law Enforcement, School Policing and Youth Work Group, Indiana, H.B. 1193
Tags: Indiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The work group will study and recommend training curricula to the Indiana law enforcement academy concerning law enforcement officer interactions with juveniles; study and recommend guidelines for school districts to adopt to reduce juvenile involvement in the juvenile justice system; and study the use of zero tolerance policies by schools and the impact that zero tolerance policies have for youth involvement in the juvenile justice system, among other tasks.
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How to End the Criminalization of Students of Color: Lessons from Louisiana, Annie Balck and Gina Womack, National Juvenile Justice Network, March 2010; Originally published in the Race Equity E-Newsletter
Tags: Louisiana | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | NJJN Publications
Article describing the nature of the school to prison pipeline and how reform in Louisiana should serve as a lesson for school districts around the country.
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Indiana Work Group to Study School Policing, H.B. 1193
Tags: Indiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The Indiana General Assembly created the Law Enforcement, School Policing, and Youth Work Group to study and make specific recommendations concerning law enforcement and school policing. The work group must submit an annual report, including recommendations on how law enforcement agencies can improve interactions with youth; how law enforcement agencies and schools can collaborate to reduce youth involvement in the juvenile justice system; use of security guards in schools; and zero tolerance policies. The legislation additionally requires schools to annually report to the state on student arrests; the use of school police departments and security guards; and whether schools have an agreement with a law enforcement agency concerning arresting students on school corporation property.
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First, Do No Harm: How Educators and Police Can Work Together More Effectively to Preserve School Safety and Protect Vulnerable Students, Johanna Wald and Lisa Thurau, Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice
Tags: Massachusetts | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report examining the impact of school resource officers on the alarming increases in arrests and juvenile referrals in Massachusetts.
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Pushed Out: Harsh Discipline in Louisiana Schools Denies the Right to Education, Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children and the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative
Tags: Louisiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report recommending utilizing more positive disciplinary approaches and reversing zero tolerance policies to reduce expulsions in Louisiana schools.
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Test, Punish and Push Out: How Zero Tolerance and High-Stakes Testing Funnel Youth into the School-to-Prison Pipeline, The Advancement Project
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report showing that together, zero tolerance and high-stakes testing have turned schools into hostile and alienating environments for many youth, effectively treating them as dropouts-in-waiting.
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Delaware School Discipline Task Force Final Report, January 2010
Tags: Delaware | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
The legislature established a school discipline task force in June of 2009 to investigate the state’s zero tolerance policy on school infractions and make recommendations on how to improve laws, regulations, and school district policies. The task force’s January 2010 report recommends that the Department of Education develop common legal definitions of student offenses leading to alternative placement, and common due process procedures for alternative placement meetings and expulsion hearings. The report also recommends that school districts develop plans to reduce discipline referrals and suspensions, and implement professional development training for teachers and school staff.
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National Resolution for Ending School Pushout, Dignity in School Campaign,
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Press release describing a call to action for school systems to end harsh discipline policies and law enforcement tactics that push too many young people out of school each year. The resolution calls for schools to implement positive alternatives that protect the human rights of young people and keep students in school.
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Improving School Climate: Findings From Schools Implementing Restorative Practices
Tags: International | Pennsylvania | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Restorative Justice | Reports | Research | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Restorative justice has the potential to transform the way schools, communities, and the criminal justice system respond to disruptive student behavior and violence.These findings are composed of excerpts from articles, as well as disciplinary data from individual schools and school districts, that give a snapshot of how restorative practices are being implemented and its effects.
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Birmingham City Schools School Offense Protocol, Alabama, October 13, 2009
Tags: Alabama | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
A school offense protocol, developed by the Birmingham City Schools Collaborative, is designed to reduce student arrests in schools and improve graduation rates by ensuring that minor student misbehavior is addressed in the schools, rather than in juvenile court. The protocol establishes a three-step process for handling minor infractions in school: a student’s first offense results in a warning notice from the school resource officer, the second offense results in a referral to the School Conflict Workshop program, and the third offense results in a referral to court.
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School Discipline Policy Change and Family Engagement as a Path to Large-Scale School Reform Teleconference Audio Recording, Maisie Chin, Director/Co-Founder, CADRE (Community Asset Development Re-defining Education)
Tags: Family and Youth Involvement | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Presentations | Teleconference
Presentation on CADRE's efforts to revise the Los Angeles Unified School District's discipline policy to incorporate PBS and basic human rights principles. To view resources associated with the presentation, visit the Trainings section of NJJN's Web site.
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Connecticut Requires Quicker Readmission of Students Who Drop Out, S.B. 2053
Tags: Connecticut | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
A school must readmit within three days a student who dropped out if the student seeks readmission within 10 days of dropping out. Previously, schools were not required to readmit a student for up to 90 days. The same law also raises the age at which a child may drop out of school with parental/guardian consent from 16 to 17, effective July 1, 2011.
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Collaborative Agreement, Birmingham City Schools Collaborative
Tags: Alabama | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Agreement between Birmingham City Schools, the Birmingham Police Department, the Jefferson County Family Court, and the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office for the purpose of establishing a cooperative relationship between community agencies involved in the handling of juveniles who are alleged to have committed a delinquent act over which the school may have disciplinary power.
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The Consequences of Dropping Out of High School: Joblessness and Jailing for High School Dropouts and the High Cost for Taxpayers, Andrew Sum, et al., Northeastern University
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
A new study from Northeastern University finds that on any given day, about one in every 10 young male high school dropouts is in jail or juvenile detention, compared with one in 35 young male high school graduates.
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Policing in Schools: Developing a Governance Document for School Resource Officers in K-12 Schools, Catherine Y. Kim and I. India Geronimo, American Civil Liberties Union
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
ACLU report outlining guidelines for police officers deployed on school campuses.
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Reclaiming Michigan's Throwaway Kids: Students Trapped in the School-to-Prison Pipeline, ACLU of Michigan
Tags: Michigan | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report documenting a trend amongst school districts to enforce severe disciplinary policies and practices that push children permanently out of the classroom without regard for the long-term impact.
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Safety with Dignity: Alternatives to the Over-Policing of Schools, New York Civil Liberties Union
Tags: New York | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report documenting the successes of six New York City public high schools in maintaining safe, nurturing educational environments without using metal detectors, aggressive policing and harsh disciplinary policies.
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Delaware Modifies and Investigates School Zero Tolerance Policies, H.B. 120
Tags: Delaware | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The Delaware General Assembly passed a bill allowing school boards to modify the terms of expulsions, or to determine that an expulsion is not appropriate. The law recognizes that zero tolerance policies have led to “arbitrary and unfair” expulsions, and that such policies have not been found to improve school safety.
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Connecticut Schools Must Allow Students Leaving Facilities to Return to School, H.B. 6567
Tags: Connecticut | Aftercare/Reentry | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Law states that if a student who committed an expellable offense seeks to return to school after having been in a juvenile facility or residential placement for one year or more, the district to which the student is returning must allow him or her to return, and may not expel the student for additional time for the original offense. The law prohibits schools from holding an expulsion in abeyance and then enforcing the expulsion when a student attempts to return after a year-long residential placement.
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Connecticut Schools Must Collect and Report Truancy Data, S.S.B. 940
Tags: Connecticut | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
School districts must add truancy data to the list of items reported to the State Department of Education. Such data is defined as attendance information and unexcused absences, and will be public record.
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Texas Schools Must Consider Mitigating Factors Before Severely Disciplining Youth, H.B. 171
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
A law in Texas requires school districts to consider mitigating factors—such as self-defense, intent, a student’s disciplinary history, or any disability a student may have—before suspending, expelling, or assigning a student to a disciplinary alternative education program or a juvenile justice alternative education program, regardless of whether the disciplinary action was mandatory under the district’s code of conduct.
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Mapping and Analyzing the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track: An Action Kit for Understanding How Harsh School Discipline Policies and Practices Are Impacting Your Community, Advancement Project
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Compilation of model discipline policies and programs from Denver Public Schools and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
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Florida Ends School Zero Tolerance Policies for Minor Infractions, Florida, S.B. 1540
Tags: Florida | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Prohibits schools from referring students to law enforcement for minor school violations.
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Florida Reins in Zero Tolerance Law, S.B. 1540
Tags: Florida | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The Florida Legislature amended its zero tolerance law to allow for more discretion and discourage the overuse of police referrals. The legislation encourages schools to use alternatives to expulsion or referral to law enforcement by using programs such as restitution, civil citation, teen court, or neighborhood restorative justice to address disruptive behavior. The law also states that zero tolerance policies are not intended to “be rigorously applied to petty acts of misconduct and misdemeanors.” Zero tolerance policies must now specifically define criteria for referral to law enforcement, acts that pose a serious threat to school safety, and petty acts of misconduct.
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Delaware Establishes School Discipline Task Force, H.R. 22
Tags: Delaware | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
The legislature established a school discipline task force in June of 2009 to investigate the state’s zero tolerance policy on school infractions and make recommendations on how to improve laws, regulations, and school district policies.
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Maryland Schools May No Longer Suspend or Expel Students Solely Because of Attendance-Related Offenses, H.B. 660
Tags: Maryland | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Legislation
Maryland schools are prohibited from suspending or expelling students based solely on attendance-related offenses. Attendance-related offenses include cutting class, tardiness, and truancy. The law includes an exception for in-school suspension. The legislation aims to keep youth in school and promote educational opportunity by addressing the underlying reasons for multiple absences.
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Washington Reforms Truancy Procedures, S.B. 5881
Tags: Washington | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Legislation
The Washington State Legislature made several changes to the state’s truancy practices and procedures. If the student is in a special education program or has a diagnosed mental disorder, the court must inquire as to what efforts the school district has made to assist the youth in attending school. If a youth is not provided with counsel at a truancy hearing, the court must conduct a colloquy on the record advising the youth and his or her parents of their rights before entering a truancy order. Detention as a sanction for truancy must be limited to seven days. Lastly, the legislature encourages the use of community truancy boards and other diversion programs that are effective in promoting school attendance and preventing the need for more intrusive court intervention.
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Virginia Schools May Not Suspend Students for Truancy, H.B. 1794
Tags: Virginia | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Legislation
Virginia public schools may no longer suspend students solely based on truancy issues. Prior to the legislative change, over 15,000 students were suspended each year for being tardy or truant.
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Dignity Denied: The Effect of "Zero Tolerance" Policies on Students' Human Rights, A Case Study of New Haven, Connecticut, Public Schools, American Civil Liberties Union
Tags: Connecticut | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report analyzing the impact on students' human rights of involving the criminal justice system in school discipline policies in the New Haven Unified School District. It finds that subjecting students to the criminal justice system as a means of school discipline deprives them of the human right to education, the right to be free from discrimination, the right to proportionality in punishment, and the right to freedom of expression.
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Schools for All Campaign: The School Bias and Pushout Problem, ACLU of Northern California
Tags: California | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report on school bias and the effects of harassment on vulnerable student populations. The report recommends a collaborative approach to solving these problems.
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Discipline of Students with Disabilities, Denver Public Schools Discipline Policy JK-F
Tags: Colorado | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Revised disciplinary policy from the Denver Public Schools system, focusing on more progressive and less harsh responses to disciplinary issues.
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Student Code of Conduct and Discipline Management Plan, Louisiana Recovery School District
Tags: Louisiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Key revisions to school code, which includes a more positive approach to youth and discipline.
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Pennsylvania Board of Education Adopts Positive Behavior Interventions, Pennsylvania, 22 Pa. Code Ch. 14
Tags: Pennsylvania | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Revised regulations on special education, focusing on positive behavior support rather than physical restraints.
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Model School Discipline Policies and Programs, Part 1, Jim Freeman, Advancement Project
Tags: California | Colorado | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Compilation of model discipline policies and programs from Denver Public Schools and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
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Model School Discipline Policies and Programs, Part 2, Jim Freeman, Advancement Project
Tags: Connecticut | Georgia | Illinois | Maryland | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Legislation
Compilation of model discipline policies and programs from Chicago Public Schools; Clayton County, Georgia; and Baltimore School Police, as well as model legislation on suspensions from Connecticut. Compilation also includes examples of prevention, intervention and diversion programs.
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Childish Behavior; Criminal Behavior, The Huntsville Times Op-Ed
Tags: Alabama | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Media
Opinion editorial discussing how schools should embrace alternatives to the juvenile justice system for youth with school-related disciplinary problems.
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Stopping the School to Jail Pipeline, National Council on Crime and Delinquency
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Brief discussing alternatives to the school to prison pipeline and suggesting ways to eliminate it.
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Tennessee Curtails Juvenile Court Referrals by School Personnel, Tennessee, S.B. 2609/Public Chapter 1063
Tags: Tennessee | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Mandates that school personnel may only file juvenile petition against a special education student after determining that the behavior was not caused by the student's disability.
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Positive School Culture: 2007-2008 Student Code of Conduct, Louisiana Recovery School District
Tags: Louisiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Revised Student Code of Conduct that includes a more positive approach to youth and discipline. The code reduces the amount of instructional time lost to unnecessary removals by reducing the number of school-based infractions that are "suspendable" and "expellable" and by increasing the use of school-based interventions and alternatives to suspension and expulsion. The code is now also aligned with the principles of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Supports and is infused with useful and family-friendly information for parents and students about their rights in the discipline process.
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Texas' School to Prison Pipeline, Dropout to Incarceration: The Impact of School Discipline and Zero Tolerance, Texas Appleseed
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report examining disciplinary referrals for a five-year period (2001-06), disaggregated by seriousness of offense (mandatory versus discretionary referrals), race, ethnicity, participation in special education, and grade level for all Texas school districts. The findings underscore the importance of Texas school districts utilizing more effective, research-based strategies to improve student behavior, reduce school dropouts, and help stem the growth of Texas' prison system, the largest in the nation.
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American Psychological Association Report Challenges School Zero Tolerance Policies and Recommends Restorative Justice, Restorative Practices E-Forum
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Brief summarizing a report issued by the American Psychological Association at their summer 2006 annual meeting that found that zero tolerance policies in use throughout U.S. school districts have not been effective in reducing violence or promoting learning in school. The report called for a change in these policies and indicated a need for alternatives, including restorative practices such as restorative justice conferences.
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Education and Public Safety, Justice Policy Institute
Tags: General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Research brief summarizing recent findings on what is known about educational attainment as it relates to crime trends and public safety. Brief compares state-level education data with crime rates and incarceration rates and finds that those states that have focused the most on education tend to have lower violent crime rates and lower incarceration rates. Other findings include: (1) graduation rates are associated with positive public safety outcomes; (2) states with higher levels of educational attainment also have lower crime rates than the national average; (3) states with higher college enrollment levels have lower violent crime rates than states with lower college enrollment levels; (4) states that make bigger investments in higher education see better public safety outcomes; and (5) the risk of incarceration, higher violent crime rates, and low educational attainment are concentrated among communities of color, who are more likely to suffer from barriers to educational opportunities.
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Louisiana Improves School Expulsion Process, Louisiana S.B. 265/Act 385
Tags: Louisiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Alters laws relating to school expulsion to reduce their amount and duration and eliminate the practice of expelling students without providing alternative education.
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Rhode Island Prohibits Zero Tolerance Policies in Public Schools, Rhode Island, S. 394/Chapter 407
Tags: Rhode Island | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Mandates that discipline for any public school student who violates policy related to drugs, alcohol, or weapons must be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
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Culture of Discipline: Guiding Principles for Everyone in the School, Los Angeles Unified School District
Tags: California | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
School-wide discipline plan focused on positive youth development.
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Are Zero Tolerance Policies Effective in the Schools?, American Psychological Association
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report denouncing use of zero tolerance policies and recommending a restorative justice approach.
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One Out of Ten: The Growing Suspension Crisis in North Carolina, North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute
Tags: North Carolina | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report discussing high rates of suspension in North Carolina schools, negative effects of suspension, and steps to reduce suspension, including involvement of caring adults and families, risk assessments of suspended fifth and sixth graders, and expansion and promotion of existing alternative learning programs.
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Education on Lockdown, Advancement Project
Tags: Colorado | Florida | Illinois | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Examination of the emergence of zero tolerance school discipline policies and how these policies have pushed students away from an academic track to a future in the juvenile justice system. Report specifically examines (1) how zero tolerance, a policy originally designed to address the most serious misconduct, morphed into a "take no prisoners" approach to school discipline issues and created a direct track into the juvenile and criminal justice systems; (2) the expanding role of law enforcement measures in schools; (3) the disparate impact of these practices on students of color; and (4) how the track is unfolding in Denver, Chicago, and Palm Beach County.
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Some Example Alternative to Suspension Programs in North Carolina Sponsored by Public Schools and Community Initiatives, North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute
Tags: North Carolina | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
List including programs and descriptions.
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Indicators of School Crime and Safety, National Center for Education Statistics
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report examining crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It provides the most current detailed statistical information to inform the nation on the nature of crime in schools. Report also presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population from an array of sources. Data on crime away from school are presented to place school crime in the context of crime in the larger society. Major findings include: (1) improvements have occurred in student safety; (2) the violent crime victimization rate at school declined from 48 violent victimizations per 1,000 students in 1992 to 28 such victimizations in 2003; and (3) even so, violence, theft, bullying, drugs, and weapons are still widespread.
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Derailed! The Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track, Advancement Project
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report looking at the use of law enforcement agencies and the juvenile justice system as a double jeopardy mechanism for students. It documents the derailing of students from an academic track in schools to a future in the juvenile justice system. The report finds that creation of the schoolhouse to jailhouse track has damaged a generation of children, particularly children of color, in three significant ways: (1) criminalizing trivial offenses pushes children out of the school system and into the juvenile justice system; (2) turning schools into "secure environments," replete with drug-sniffing dogs, metal detectors, and uniformed law enforcement personnel, lowers morale and makes learning more difficult; (3) the negative effects of zero tolerance fall disproportionately on children of color and children with special needs.
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Abandoned in the Back Row: New Lessons in Education and Delinquency Prevention, Coalition for Juvenile Justice
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Brief summary reviewing educational issues that can lead to youth delinquency (academic frustration, scarce resources, school disciplinary policies) and offering potential solutions (increased funding, rejection of strict disciplinary policies, and parental involvement).
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Truancy Prevention Brief, National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Article discussing truancy and its relation to the school-to-prison pipeline.
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Opportunities Suspended, Advancement Project in Collaboration with the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University
Tags: School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report describing the negative impact of “zero-tolerance” disciplinary approaches on the learning environment and the school-to-prison pipeline. Report also notes how students of color are disparately negatively affected by harsh school policies.
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Louisiana Law Helps Ensure Education of Youth in Juvenile Justice System
Tags: Louisiana | Institutional Conditions | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Correctional Education | Legislation
Louisiana now allows students who are expelled from school for offenses involving weapons or controlled substances to attend alternative education programs. Such students were previously excluded from these programs. Law also now requires the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to establish provisions for agreements between school authorities and education service providers that ensure the education of students who are adjudicated delinquent, adjudicated in need of service, placed in a juvenile facility, assigned to a community based-program, or suspended or expelled for weapons or controlled dangerous substance offenses. These rules and regulations must provide for academic, behavioral, and mental health interventions that focus on positive reinforcement, mentoring, experiential learning, employability, and success in the community. H.B. 1209/Act No. 831, signed into law and effective June 14, 2012.
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Research on School Security: The Impact of Security Measures on Students
Tags: Brain and Adolescent Development | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Research
The National Association of School Psychologists published this brief on school security measures' impact on students. The brief cautions against over reliance on extreme security measures, and emphasizes an approach that addresses the full continuum of students' needs.