Advocacy Update: Disrupting the School To Prison Pipeline

Advocacy Update: Disrupting the School To Prison Pipeline

Image: San Francisco Public Defender’s Office

A vast majority of schools in the U.S continue to discipline students with strict policies that take them out of the classroom and into the criminal justice system for minor offenses. This is known as the school-to-prison pipeline which is happening at an alarming rate and disproportionately impacting minority students—most of whom are low-income and have histories of abuse. It comes as no surprise that suspensions start far too early. Disparities in discipline and school treatment begin from the first day of class, even in kindergarten and pre-kindergarten settings. Black children represent only 18% of preschool enrollment, yet they account for over 40% of all preschool students suspended at least once. Not only are these numbers astounding, but numerous studies have shown that suspensions and expulsions are inextricably linked with high drop rates and entering the juvenile justice system. 

Lincoln Families advocates to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline through many avenues, most recently with supporting the California Assembly Bill 1361 on preschool suspensions and expulsions. Passing this bill is essential as it would expand access to Early Childhood Mental Health Consultations, a program that Lincoln delivers to educators and staff across the East Bay. These therapeutic services are family-centered, relationship-based, and predominantly delivered in the communities where a child lives. Our team works with families to offer services tailored to their unique needs and designed to encourage their children's healthy social and emotional development. The bill would also establish requirements for the use of suspensions in the programs and require these programs to maintain records on expulsion and suspension to disrupt this pipeline. 

In addition to supporting AB 1361, one of Lincoln’s programs, Oakland Freedom Schools (OFS), has been striving to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline by providing high-quality academic, culturally relevant summer literacy programming, which builds strong, literate, and empowered scholars and youth. Program Manager of Lincoln’s West Oakland Initiative and OFS Ocie Parks shares: “Oakland Freedom School promotes a love of reading in young scholars and we encourage them to engage in service and civic activities. We believe that our scholars have a voice that must be heard in order to create change.”

Traditional ways of thinking can exacerbate trauma and cause long-term mental health issues in students. The school-to-prison pipeline demonstrates that many kids with mental health needs or behavioral disorders are poorly supported in schools. According to the NAACP, Black and Latinx students are suspended or expelled at a rate almost 3.5 times greater than white students. They are disciplined for more subjective offenses such as throwing food, loitering, or making excessive noise. Instead of harshly punishing students and negatively impacting their education and mental health, more programs should be geared towards creating nurturing and positive environments that boost student achievement and success. Moreover, reforming policies and practices, having more engagement with families, properly training staff, and implementing behavioral health systems to address causes of misbehavior, trauma, and mental health issues should be the top priority. 

Lincoln has many preventative services previously mentioned to empower children and families. Lincoln’s West Oakland Initiative (WOI) is a culturally responsive academic intervention and wellness program that integrates in-class supports, social-emotional development, parent engagement, case management and is dedicated to breaking down barriers to learning. Staff from WOI share their insights:

“WOI aims to provide scholars with a vibrant and supportive learning environment which helps increase their individuality and self-esteem.”

- Torriea Ashford 

“ WOI connects with scholars in a way that makes them feel like family instead of direct service. Although our approach is less formal it allows the scholars to understand that the lens society sees them through is not the one they have to accept. We teach them that achievement/ success starts with mind and community.” 

- Jade Curry 

Disciplinary policies such as early suspensions and expulsions are obsolete and we must fix all the leaks to the pipeline for underserved populations. Finding new ways to discipline students while keeping them in the classroom will increase graduation rates and overall student success. Passing bills like AB 1361 and supporting Lincoln Programs such as Oakland Freedom School and the West Oakland Initiative which aim to target issues at their root are steps in the right direction to fix the leaky pipeline.