Incoming New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio does not lack for issues
demanding his immediate attention. Among them are the historic levels of
income inequality
and homelessness, as well as the matter of a militarized police force
and its abuse of power, particularly with regard to communities of
color. So he certainly has his work cut out for him. But if he wishes to
address many of these urgent issues at the same time while also
tackling something of great importance in its own right, a major
priority for his administration should be closing the school-to-prison
pipeline—the name given to a set of regressive, “zero tolerance”
policies that frequently end up pushing students into the criminal
justice system instead of through school.
In May of last year, the New York Times editorial board
described the situation as follows: “School officials across the country
responded to a surge in juvenile crime during the 1980s and the
Columbine High School shootings a decade later by tightening
disciplinary policies and increasing the number of police patrolling
public schools. One unfortunate result has been the creation of a
repressive environment in which young people are suspended, expelled or
even arrested over minor misbehaviors—like talking back or disrupting
class—that would once have been handled by the principal.”
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