HOW DO different DISCIPLINary POLICIES contribute to the existence of the school to prison pipeline?
By: Victor Iturralde
Over the last year, CPS has displayed a unfairness in their discipline policies. Charter Schools have an over 12 times higher rate of expulsion with "...expelled 61 of every 10,000 students while the district-run schools expelled just 5 of every 10,000 students.". Cps claims that they intend to bring this number down in the years to come, although at the same time keep in place a "a really punitive zero-tolerance code of conduct" (Byrd-Bennett) . Charter schools continue to brag about their nearly perfect graduation rates, while they are in some school's expelling 1 of every 20 schools. This extremity is leaving kids helpless, being put out for school for years and leaving their future in jeopardy. While Cps continues to brag and display their motto "Children First", children in some systems continue to be put second, behind statistics and graduation rates.
Solutions to try and solve the problem of unfair discipline policies and the school-to-prison pipeline is instead of resorting straight to severe punishment for students that commit minor offences, but to send these students to mandatory counseling and mentoring meetings, to try and lead and help these students to travel down the correct path. If we enforce this proposal there will be less suspensions due to the less severe disciplinary system, students will not be pushed out of school but into the office of someone ready to not only help them fix their bad habits, but to also try and help them with any personal problems they may be dealing with that may cause their bad habits.
"Charter schools' expulsion rate vastly higher than rest of CPS." Chicago Tribune.
"STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT FOR CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR THE 2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR ." Chicago Public Schools Policy Manual.<http://policy.cps.k12.il.us/documents/705
"Charter schools' expulsion rate vastly higher than rest of CPS." Chicago Tribune.
"STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT FOR CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR THE 2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR ." Chicago Public Schools Policy Manual.<http://policy.cps.k12.il.us/documents/705