Stop 4: School to Prison Pipeline

The school-to-prison pipeline it's a term that describes how American kids get pushed out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Basically harsh zero-tolerance policies and schools have led to more suspensions expulsions and even in school arrests. Getting suspended or expelled means more time away from school and it doesn't take an honor student to figure out that's bad news. In fact expelled and suspended students are more likely to get held back a grade end up in juvie or just drop out altogether. And dropping out of high school makes you three times more likely to get arrested. Back in school forget about hallway monitors students these days often have to deal with school police. Minor offenses that might have landed you in the principal's office back in the day can now actually lead to your arrest. Students of color and those with disabilities are disproportionately affected. Black students get expelled three times more than their white classmates while a student with a disability is two times more likely to get an out-of-school suspension than everyone else. And it's not because these kids are just bad apples. The Justice Department found that black students got harsher punishments than their white peers for doing the same things. 

Even after all this there is still hope.

A light at the end of the tunnel.

Thank you for taking your time to go through the tunnel.

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