Section 8.2 Understanding the Issue
In the wake of racial justice protests in 2020, the public’s attention was also turned to the presence of police in schools, and the disproportionate impact that this presence has on students of color, primarily Black and Indigenous students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics [8.12.138], 61.4% of the public schools in 2017-2018 had one or more security staff. The number of police officers in schools especially exploded after the mass shooting in Columbine High School in 1999, as a consequence of which the government began to offer federal grants to schools for hiring police officers in an effort to increase school security. Twenty years later, over 200,000 students are being referred to law enforcement every year [8.12.142]. Some of these referrals are arrests with or without charges filed, while others are citations. Students are referred to law enforcement for offenses as minor as talking back to a teacher or having a fight with a classmate [8.12.134]. Because students who have contact with law enforcement are more likely to drop out of school and/or end up incarcerated [8.12.130], this increased criminalization of youth behavior has become known as the school-to-prison pipeline. However, contact with law enforcement is not the only problem. closeWindow()ly related to it is the problem of school discipline. In 2017-18, over 2.5 million students received an out-of-school suspension, and over 2.6 million received an in-school suspension [8.12.142]. Frequent suspensions can also lead to dropout [8.12.130], and, as they are usually at the discretion of teachers and administrators, can be used indiscriminately [8.12.134] [8.12.133], leading to disparities.
In this module, we begin to explore the school-to-prison pipeline. After the completion of this module, you are encouraged to do more research on the topic, especially if you have not been personally affected by the overpolicing and overdisciplining in schools. It is important to acknowledge that neither race nor gender are discrete categories in the real world. However, all the data sources used in this module assume two genders and separate race categories. We will have to work with these limitations, but it is worth asking of all data we encounter: how were these data collected and what assumptions were made in collecting them?
In order to engage with this module, you will need to know some terminology:
School resource officer: School resource officers (SROs) are sworn law enforcement officers who are at a school part-time or full-time to maintain school safety and prevent crime. These officers may educate and counsel students, but otherwise have similar responsibilities as police officers. In particular, they can make arrests on school property.
School arrest: This is an arrest that happens on the school grounds, often, but not always, by the school’s SRO.
In-school suspension: When a student commits an offense that the school considers worthy of suspension, the suspension may be completed at the school. Suspended students do not attend regular classes or interact with their peers but are in a separate room where they are required to complete their assignments.
Out-of-school suspension: This is a more traditional form of suspension where students are physically barred from school grounds for one or more days.
Zero tolerance policies: School discipline policies that require predetermined serious consequences for particular offenses. Originally, these policies specifically addressed possession of weapons and drugs but were also expanded to others, such as defiant behavior or not following the school dress code.
Pushout: This term is often used instead of “dropout,” since it can be argued that students do not drop out of school unprompted, but as a consequence of policies and actions that make it difficult or impossible for them to remain in school.
Students with disabilities: For the purpose of looking at school discipline, students with disabilities are those who require special education services due to a disability. If a student has a disability but does not need accommodations for it, that student is not considered to fall under this category.
Truant: A student with a large number of absences, usually set by an official standard like a school board or regulatory agency. The descriptions of the following four terms were adapted from [8.12.129].
School counselor: These are professional staff members who counsel students and parents, consult with other staff, evaluate students, and implement guidance programs. They are among the first staff members to work with students who are struggling.
Social worker: Social workers assist students and families with issues such as poverty, homelessness, lack of access to healthcare, domestic violence, and other issues that might affect student performance at school.
Psychologist: School psychologists help diagnose problems of a personal and educational nature in students, and evaluate student social, emotional, and intellectual development.
Nurse: School nurses are qualified nurses who assist with the health needs of students at schools.