On July 19th and 20th members of the National Campaign for Quality Education traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with members of Congress and introduce their National Campaign to End the School-to-Prison Pipeline. One of our top federal legislative priorities is to ensure that the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (commonly known as “No Child Left Behind”) addresses the School-to-Prison Pipeline that has been created in our communities. Across the country, and particularly in communities of color, students are being pushed out of school and toward the juvenile and criminal justice systems by the over-use of out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, referrals to alternative schools, and school-based arrests and referrals to law enforcement. These policies and practices have made schools hostile or alienating environments for young people, worsening school culture, school safety, and academic performance.
During the reauthorization of ESEA, we urge Congress to take note of the devastating impact of these punitive policies and practices and begin to dismantle the School-to-Prison Pipeline by implementing the following:
- Require Annual Public Reporting of School Discipline Data
- Hold All Schools Accountable for Their Use of Harsh and Inequitable Disciplinary Practices
- Fund the Development and Implementation of Community-Based Solutions to the School-to-Prison Pipeline
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