"Miss. reaches discipline deal with US" by Holbrook Mohr | Associated Press, March 23, 2013
JACKSON, Miss. — The US Justice Department said Friday that it has reached a deal with a Mississippi school district to end discriminatory disciplinary practices in which black students face harsher punishment than whites for similar misbehavior.
The agreement comes after a lengthy federal investigation that found that black public school students in Meridian were five times more likely than whites to be suspended from classes and often got longer suspensions for comparable misbehavior.
Jocelyn Samuels, a deputy assistant attorney general, commended the district for its cooperation with the Justice Department and said she hopes the agreement can be a guide to other school districts.
‘‘Unfortunately, today across the country, students are being pulled off the path to success by harsh disciplinary policies that are excluding students from school for minor disciplinary infractions,’’ she said.
--more--"
Related:
"Mississippi criticized on school discipline; Rights advocates say
policies harsh" by Holbrook Mohr | Associated Press, January 18, 2013
JACKSON, Miss. — Civil rights advocates say harsh disciplinary practices
at many Mississippi schools lead to children being expelled and even
incarcerated for minor infractions, policies that disproportionately
affect minorities.
A joint report by groups including the ACLU and NAACP says the problems
are more widespread than just the city of Meridian, where the Justice
Department has filed a suit claiming officials are running a ‘‘school-to-prison pipeline’’ for minor infractions.
We saw that in Pennsylvania, too!
Also see: US says arrests in east Miss. violate students’ rights
The groups say the Meridian lawsuit is just one example of a problem
‘‘that has plagued Mississippi schools statewide for years.’’ The report
was a joint project of the state chapters of the American Civil
Liberties Union and the NAACP with the Mississippi Coalition for the
Prevention of Schoolhouse to Jailhouse and the Advancement Project.
‘‘The bottom line is that there are no successful schools in America
that have high expulsion, suspension, and arrest rates,’’ Scott Roberts,
a coordinator for Advancement Project, said at a news conference in
Jackson.
The report comes less than three months after the Justice Department
filed a lawsuit in US District Court in Jackson alleging that students
in the southeastern city of Meridian have been sent to juvenile detention for infractions such as flatulence or dress code violations, and that mostly black and disabled children are affected.
The defendants deny the allegations and the city said in court records
that the police department amended its arrest policies before the suit
was filed. Youth court judges in Lauderdale County also denied the
allegations in court documents.
The new report says many schools in Mississippi use zero-tolerance policies and students end up incarcerated or kicked out of school ‘‘often for the most trivial misbehaviors.’’
The report also cites a study of 115 school districts in Mississippi
that found black students were three times more likely to receive
out-of-school suspensions than whites and the number was higher in
certain districts.
--more--"
The sad truth is Amerika's schools are looking more like prisons
every day, although I suppose many kids felt that way even before.
