The school-to-prison pipeline is the phenomenon that certain school disciplinary policies and practices are pushing youths out of school and, as a consequence, onto the pathway to incarceration. In the 2009-2010 school year, 3,727,285 students received out-of-school suspensions and 72,135 students received expulsions from school.1 The harsh disciplinary policies, such as zero-tolerance policies, that deliver these punishments are especially problematic, because they disproportionately affect youths of color, boys, and students with disabilities. The following statistics reveal who is getting pushed out and are all attributable to this Data Snapshot from the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights2 :
Suspension in preschool (race/ethnicity and gender):
– Black children constitute 18% of the preschool population, yet constitute 48% of preschool children that get more than one out-of-school suspension
– White children constitute 43% of the preschool population, yet constitute 26% of preschool children that get more than one out-of-school suspension
– Boys constitute 54% of the preschool population, yet constitute 79% of preschool children that are suspended once and 83% of preschool children suspended more than once
Suspension/Expulsion rates by race:
– Black students are suspended/expelled at a rate that is three times greater than the rate of suspension/expulsion for white students. 16% of black students are suspended, while 5% of white students are suspended.
– While American Indian and Native-Alaskan students only make up 1% of the student population, they make up 2% of out-of-school suspensions, as well as 3% of expulsions.
Suspension of girls by race:
– Black girls are suspended at a rate of 12%
– American Indian and Native-Alaskan girls are suspended at a rate of 7%
– White girls are suspended at a rate of 2%
Suspension of students that have disabilities:
– Students that have disabilities receive an out-of-school suspension at a rate of 13%
– Students that do not have disabilities are less than half as likely to receive an out-of-school suspension, at a rate of 6%
Suspension rates combining race, sex, and disability status:
– More than 1 out of 4 boys of color that have disabilities receive an out-of-school suspension. The exception is Latino and Asian American students
– Almost 1 out of 5 girls of color that have disabilities receive an out-of-school suspension. The exception, again, is Latino and Asian American students
Arrests/referrals to law enforcement according to race:
– Black students constitute 16% of student enrollment yet constitute 27% of students that are referred to law enforcement and 31% of students that experience a school-related arrest
– White students constitute 51% of student enrollment, yet constitute 41% of students referred to law enforcement and 39% of students that experience a school-related arrest
Arrests/referrals to law enforcement according to disability status:
– Students that have disabilities constitute 12% of student enrollment, yet constitute 25% of students that are referred to law enforcement and are arrested
Restraint and seclusion according to race and disability status:
– Students that have disabilities constitute 12% of the student population, yet constitute 58% of students that are put in seclusion or in involuntary confinement and 75% of students that are physically restrained in school
– Black students constitute 19% of the population of students with disabilities, yet constitute 36% of students with disabilities that are restrained via a mechanical device or equipment that immobilizes them