School resource officers, zero-tolerance policies, and poor academic instruction are fueling the disproportionate introduction of Black and disabled students into the school-to-prison pipeline, experts say.
By Tamara Ward, The AFRO, Word In Black
School resource officers (SROs) and zero-tolerance policies have long shouldered the blame for the disproportionate introduction of Black and disabled students into the school-to-prison pipeline.
“I see the pipeline. The pipeline is alive here – alive and well, in this county,” said Melissa Feliciano, an assistant public defender with Maryland Department of the Public Defender in Harford County for 22 years. “When you’re here for this long, you work with a kid who’s 12 and then you turn around 20 years later, they’re in prison–not local jail–they’re in prison.”
“Often it’s an overlap. You have kids on [Individualized Education Plans (IEP)] who are Black – it’s like a double whammy. If you have an IEP and you’re Black, you could be easily screwed in school, screwed out of school,” Feliciano added.