School To Prison Pipeline: Missouri Will Now Charge Students With Felonies For Fighting

[You Win Perfect]

http://www.essence.com/news/missouri-students-felonies-school-fights

Parents and community groups say the new rule will only broaden the school to prison pipeline epidemic.


The Missouri community is taking a stand to speak out against a new state statute that many believe will advances the "school to prison pipeline."





Residents in the state are rightfully in opposition to the new statewide law, that will provide for students involved in school fights to face possible felony charges instead of misdemeanors.





According to Think Progress, the statute will aim to no longer treat fights in schools or aboard school buses as minor offenses, regardless of the age of the student(s) involved. Students who participate in fights will now be arrested by school security officers and charged with a Class E Felony.





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The "school to prison pipeline" references the way in which children and teens -- predominantly of color -- are exposed to the criminal justice system at an early age after being criminalized for their behavior in school, rather than educated or rehabilitated to prevent future run-ins with the law.



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Nationwide studies have shown that Black children are disproportionately targeted by the school-to-prison-pipeline epidemic, as instructors begin viewing students of color as more dangerous than white students as early as preschool, which ultimately subjects them to harsher punishments.





Under the new Missouri statute, many parents worry that students involved in fights at school will be at risk for establishing criminal records before they can even fully grasp what it means to have a criminal record.





The statute is set to take effect in the state beginning January 1, 2017.

systematic racism intensifies

 

[Bawon Samedi]

 

[David_TheMan]

Public schools are prison factories, black people should take their kids out of these jails.

 

[You Win Perfect]

crazy right

 

[Anerdyblackguy]

This is so wrong.

 

[Yogi]

I wonder how this will be enforced. I mean schoolyard fights happen with kids of all races. Will prosecutors have discretion in deciding who will be charged with a felony, or is it mandatory?

 

[MrWestGrand]

The Trump administration will be heavy private school, charter school, nd voucher programming. I said in the Assimilation or Autonomy thread, that education has to be the foundation of where infrastructure building in the black community begins. This war isn't about us, it's about our seeds, and they seeds. We can't overturn over 400+ years of disenfranchisement in a half of century, but collectively we can make significant strides in the next 2 1/2. We have to come to the table ready to play the long game.

Brehs and Sistas in the Deep South need to arm up legally, organize locally, and start to create themselves a code of conduct and action, and indoctrinate their kids to it. We playing Chess not checkers, and the goal is to reap the benefit off every bit of resource this country can still give us, with our eyes on rebuilding us a place in the motherland.

 

[G-Zeus]

well if it succesfully stop school fighting... it would be a plus... but everyone is about that life.. so law needs to be dropped

 

[jwonder]

Public schools are prison factories, black people should take their kids out of these jails.

I concur. Black people need to put their kids in Black home schools. There are several around and growing.

 

[Uncle Kendrick]

Homeschool, charter school, private school, and a montessori school these are the alternatives. Forget public school they don't teach shyt anyway.

 

[Swirv]

Missouri voters need to put some pressure on the governor to veto or repeal this law

 

[EndDomination]

I wonder how this will be enforced. I mean schoolyard fights happen with kids of all races. Will prosecutors have discretion in deciding who will be charged with a felony, or is it mandatory?

They'll likely have discretion and the urban public school prosecutors will likely be far harsher than the suburban and rural prosecutors.
Its already like that for petty crime like shoplifting and small-scale vandalism.
For kids who get jumped, or caught up in any long-standing beef, its going to be a quick way to have their futures ruined.
I know most guys my age have gotten into fistfights before, including me, and nearly all the guys I went to college with have before.
There's an article on this written last year that was enlightening.

 

[IrateMastermind]

Homeschool, charter school, private school, and a montessori school these are the alternatives. Forget public school they don't teach shyt anyway.

My daughter is in Montessori and could read and write before she was 5. She's so good at math that she finishes all her work by Wednesday. I'm a fan of Montessori but all of the above are better than public school. Fewer distractions and small classrooms equal greater success.

 

[Yogi]

They'll likely have discretion and the urban public school prosecutors will likely be far harsher than the suburban and rural prosecutors.
Its already like that for petty crime like shoplifting and small-scale vandalism.
For kids who get jumped, or caught up in any long-standing beef, its going to be a quick way to have their futures ruined.
I know most guys my age have gotten into fistfights before, including me, and nearly all the guys I went to college with have before.
There's an article on this written last year that was enlightening.

If they have discretion this will be horrible for black kids. And with Jeff Sessions taking over, the DOJ won't do a damn thing.

 

[EndDomination]

Study: Black Girls Are Being Pushed Out of School

Missouri voters need to put some pressure on the governor to veto or repeal this law

They likely won't. White voters are likely less pressed on the issue than Black voters.