School-To-Prison Pipeline

NewsOne focuses in March 2017 on the steep uphill climb of Black girls in the K-12 public school system.

Several education news stories in 2016 impacted the African-American community. Black educators reached new heights and the community debated school choice.

One of the Spring Valley High School students arrested last year is raising awareness about girls in the school-to-prison pipeline. Niya Kenny has graduated and now interns for a social justice nonprofit.

The Department of Justice announced that it will phase out its use of private prisons. There's no need for them with the declining population of federal prisoners.

Baltimore County public schools are exploring ways to reduce suspensions for students of color. Hundreds of educators attended a two-day conference to find solutions.

A Tennessee prosecutor said he will drop criminal charges against elementary school children. Parents protested the arrests.

St. Louis school officials announced a ban against automatic out-of-school suspensions of students in preschool through second grade. This move follows a report that said Missouri leads the nation in suspending Black elementary school students.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton proposed spending $2 billion on alternatives to traditional school punishment. Her plan, and other alternatives like restorative justice, seek to end the school-to-prison pipeline.

As the top administrator for the school system in Madison, Wisconsin, Nancy Hanks has revamped their discipline practices after realizing suspensions and expulsions contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline.