Florida’s School-to-Prison Pipeline is Largest in the Nation | Alternet

Florida’s School-to-Prison Pipeline is Largest in the Nation | Alternet:

Florida’s School-to-Prison Pipeline is Largest in the Nation

More than in any other state, students in Florida are being arrested for incidents that once would have merited a trip to the principal's office.

Photo Credit: DenisNata | Shutterstock.com

February 13, 2013  |  

 

Reprinted with permission of Colorlines.com. For more news from a racial justice perspective, sign up to receive weeklyColorlines Direct.

It used to be that getting in a schoolyard fight meant a trip to the principal’s office—detention, maybe. But in Florida, more than any other state, that schoolyard fight can lead to the student’s arrest and even felony charges. Last year 12,000 students were arrested 13,870 times in Florida public schools, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The arrests are meted out unevenly. Black students are just 21 percent of Florida youth, but make up 46 percent of all school-related referrals to law enforcement, according to the Sun Sentinel.