Do you really believe all children can learn? Then stop disciplining black students out of the system
Ending education’s original sin
If we viewed students as learners and not uneducable criminals, then we wouldn’t kick them out of schools.
We certainly wouldn’t shuttle children through an adult justice system.
Education’s original sin of not believing children are actually children erodes even the most strident of educators’ belief that all children can learn and should be educated in school (and not disciplined out of it).
Believing in children as learners is why schools should applaud Louisiana Senate bill 324.
Under the Senate bill, youth arrested for nonviolent crimes would be tried and imprisoned under the juvenile justice system. Sponsored by Sen. J.P. Morrell (D-New Orleans), the bill would raise the legal age in the definition of a delinquent from 17 to 18. This bill should shortly reach Gov. John Bel Edwards for signage.
The complicity between education and criminal justice systems should be apparent. From a negative view of youth, schools not only adopted no tolerance policies of the criminal justice system, they often fueled it through suspension and expulsion.
Arrests are often made on the school grounds. Police and Security Resource Officers are becoming hired muscle for teachers. In addition, we issue suspensions as if it helps students graduate. Actually, multiple suspensions increase the likelihood of dropping out of school by 10th grade threefold. This is the same rate dropping out of school increases one’s chances of being incarcerated.
At the core of both these horrible sets of policies is the lack of belief in children as learners. Locking up or putting out problems is the antithesis of teaching. Regressive criminal justice policies and harsh school discipline policies are evil cousins that rob black and brown students’ humanity.
Related: Mississippi leads south in black student suspensions
According to Louisiana Department of Education, during the 2013-2014 school year, 13,535 of 61,201 total out of school suspensions were due to willful disobedience. Eight thousand willful disobedience suspensions were dispensed to the very young: grades Pre-K to 5. A higher percentage of those suspensions were handed out to black children who make up 44 percent of Louisiana students but 67 percent of out of school suspensions and 68 percent of expulsions.
Willful disobedience is code enforcement for those who believe black kids don’t deserve Do you really believe all children can learn? Then stop disciplining black students out of the system - The Hechinger Report:
Join the conversation later on Andre Perry’s radio show, “Free College,” hosted Tuesdays on WBOK1230 in New Orleans at 3pm Central/4pm Eastern 504.260.9265.
