1. “Schoolhouse to the Jailhouse” 1 “Public School Prison Pipeline” The Interaction between Public Schools and the Juvenile Justice System

2. Goals Increase awareness and understanding of school disciplinary practices that push youth out of school and many times into the justice system. Promote fair & equitable administration of school discipline Provide practical examples of alternative approaches that maintain school safety while ensuring academic engagement and success for all students. 2

3. Why Important? Conceptual: School alienation  risk for delinquency Empirical evidence: ▫ Suspension predicts increased likelihood of juvenile justice contact. Council for State Govts., 2011. Too many children being referred to the juvenile justice system. Most children being referred are African American. ▫ Disparities in suspension predict disparities in arrest. Nicholson-Crotty et al, 2009.

4. Why…The clear connection between school performance and delinquency Nearly one-half (48%) of youth in custody are currently functioning below the grade level appropriate for their age, compared to 28% of youth in the general population. Juvenile Justice Bulletin, OJJDP, April 2010. School connectedness is a strong protective factor against delinquency. US Surgeon General. (2001). Youth Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General. School connectedness is linked to lower levels of substance abuse, violence, suicide attempts, pregnancy, & emotional distress. Journal of School Health 72 (4).

5. Students with Disabilities and Juvenile Justice Research suggests the prevalence of special education disabilities is about 4 to 5 times greater in the juvenile justice system than the rate of special education disabilities in the general population. Approximately 30-50% of youth in the correctional system have a disability. Source: Rutherford, Bullis, Anderson and Griller-Clark (2002)

6. Is your school disciplinary climate influenced primarily by: a.State laws and regulations b.Local policies and regulations c.A mix of both state laws and local policies and regulations d.School district policies and procedures e.All of the above

7. Example of Influence – Zero Tolerance Established in late 80’s drug enforcement Picked up in schools: 1989-1990 Gun Free Schools Act becomes law: 1994 Dramatic increase in suspensions and expulsions: ▫ Chicago expulsions prior to zero tolerance 1995- 96: 81 ▫ Three years later, after Zero Tolerance: 1000

8. EFFECTS OF ZERO TOLERANCE Suspension rates have increased ▫ Increase in suspensions and referrals has significantly increased racial & ethnic disparities

9. Racial Disparities – Special Education Feb. 4, 2015 – Letter from Nebraska Department of Education sent to OPS. It demanded the district spend $1.8 million to reduce the number of students with special needs who were getting suspended. ▫ 2011 and 2012: OPS suspended nearly six times as many special needs students, especially African American students, for more than 10 days a year, compared to the state average, which violates the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a series of federal regulations known as IDEA.

10. Racial Disparities Grades 9-12 by Race/Ethnicity Student Group Student DemographicSuspensionMandatory ReassignmentsExpulsions Representation N%N % Suspension % SubgroupN % Reassignment % SubgroupN % Expulsion % Subgroup African American41420.0%8943.6%21.5%1100.0%0.2%1655.2%3.9% Asian American803.9%62.9%7.5%00.0% 0 White, Not Hispanic1,12154.2%5928.9%5.3%00.0% 1137.9%1.0% Hispanic/Latino31515.2%3617.6%11.4%00.0% 26.9%0.6% American Indian120.6%10.5%8.3%00.0% 0 Pacific Islander40.2%21.0%50.0%00.0% 0 Multi-Racial1246.0%115.4%8.9%00.0% 0 Total Students2,070 204 9.9%1 0.0%29 1.4%

11. 11 Omaha Public Schools - Duplicated Suspensions and Expulsions by Race 2013-14 Student Group Student Demographic Representation Suspension RepresentationExpulsion Representation N%N% Suspension % Subgroup N% Expulsion % Subgroup African American1310225.70%604156.15%46.11%24458.65%1.86% Asian American20384.00%650.60%3.19%20.48%0.10% White, Not Hispanic1603131.40%170615.86%10.64%5914.18%0.37% Hispanic/Latino1649732.30%207119.25%12.55%7918.99%0.48% American Indian5501.10%1591.48%28.91%92.16%1.64% Pacific Islander730.10%120.11%16.44%10.24%1.37% Multi-Racial27795.40%7046.54%25.33%225.29%0.79% Total Students510701075821.07%4160.81% Omaha Public Schools - Unduplicated Suspensions and Expulsions by Race 2013-14 Student Group Student Demographic Suspension RepresentationExpulsion Representation N%N% Suspension % Subgroup N% Expulsion % Subgroup African American1310225.70%260251.43%19.86%23358.10%1.78% Asian American20384.00%511.01%2.50%20.50%0.10% White, Not Hispanic1603131.40%91918.17%5.73%5814.46%0.36% Hispanic/Latino1649732.30%106921.13%6.48%7618.95%0.46% American Indian5501.10%701.38%12.73%92.24%1.64% Pacific Islander730.10%80.16%10.96%10.25%1.37% Multi-Racial27795.40%3406.72%12.23%225.49%0.79% Total Students5107050599.91%4010.79%

12. EFFECTS OF ZERO TOLERANCE Suspension rates have increased ▫ Increase in suspensions and referrals has significantly increased racial & ethnic disparities Drop-out rates increased Juvenile crime increased Targeted Interventions decreased Police on school campus increased

13. History of School Based Law Enforcement The use of police officers in schools dates back to the 1950’s Timeline ▫ 1953 – Flint, Michigan ▫ 1963 – Tucson, Arizona ▫ 1967 – Cincinnati, Ohio ▫ 1968 – Los Angeles, California ▫ 1980’s to Present – Dramatically increased across the United States.

14. School Resource Officer Triad Concept 14

15. Local Results: OPD counted 844 arrests at OPS middle and high schools last school year — 42 felony arrests and 802 misdemeanor arrests. ▫ OPD did not provide a breakdown that separated arrests by age. Omaha World Herald 10/8/14

16. School Issue vs Criminal 6 th Grader does not follow direction, acts out in class and on the way to principal’s office  Police report filed, prosecuted for assault and disorderly conduct Students steals E-Reader is caught before leaving school  Police report filed, prosecuted for felony theft 7 th grade females get in mutual fight over he said, she said  Police report filed, prosecuted for assault and disorderly conduct 9th grader is instructed to put cell phone away, student declines, and walks out of class, in the process shrugs SROs hand away  Police report filed, prosecuted

17. SOLUTION BASED ON RESEARCH Assess Disruptive Students, or why is Johnny disruptive ? Develop Alternatives to Suspension & Referral to Treat the Causes Increase in Grad. Rates and Decrease Students in Juvenile System

18. Conditions for Learning By creating welcoming, supportive, and secure learning environments, schools can reduce the likelihood that students will misbehave and improve educators’ ability to manage student behavior.

19. Recommendations (Examples): Codes of conduct should emphasize expectations for students; make clear suspension is a last resort Graduated restorative responses should be in place Educators should be provided skills to improve classroom engagement Reform in Action: In 2009, the San Francisco Unified School District adopted policies to train staff on restorative practices. San Francisco Unified School District Student Suspensions (SY2009-10 to SY2012-13) 3,098 0 500500 1,0001,000 1,5001,500 2,0002,000 2,5002,500 3,0003,000 3,5003,500 2009-20102012-2013 1,921 -38% REDUCTION Conditions for Learning

20. Targeted Behavioral Interventions Some students who are repeatedly involved in their schools’ discipline systems may require additional supports and interventions including those that address unmet behavioral health, academic, or other needs. 24

21. 25 Recommendations (Examples): Districts, schools, and educators should collect data that identifies and supports students who need targeted behavioral interventions Student support teams and community partnerships should be at every school to oversee behavioral challenges Students removed from school for disciplinary reasons should be placed in quality alternative educational settings Reform in Action: Austin Independent School District EWS used with student-support teams Austin Independent School District, Citations Issued (2011-2013) 1,045 20002000 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 2010-20112012-2013 739 -29% REDUCTION Targeted Behavioral Interventions

22. School-Police Partnerships Working collaboratively, schools and local law enforcement can ensure schools are safe and that students are not arrested for minor misconduct. 26

23. 27 Recommendations (Examples): School-based officers should be properly selected, trained, supervised, and evaluated; off- campus officers should be trained on alternatives to arrest Police should not engage in routine classroom management and should rely on the school’s disciplinary system to address minor offenses School systems and law enforcement agencies should create detailed memorandums of understanding Reform in Action: Denver Public Schools and Denver Police Department signed a memorandum of understanding in 2013 School and Police Partnership

24. Recognizing the negative long-term consequences of involvement in the juvenile justice system, every effort should be made to keep students in school and out of court. 26 County Attorney, Juvenile Justice, and Schools

25. 27 Recommendations (Examples): Defines offenses that are subject to arrest or tickets Defines how those arrests or tickets will be handled Defines what is school offense only Reform in Action: Memphis Public Schools, County Attorney, and Police Department signed a memorandum of understanding County Attorney, Juvenile Justice, and Schools

26. Information Sharing and Networking STUDENTS, STAFF, & SCHOOL POLICE DEPARTMENT SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER SCHOOL DISTRICT PARENTS CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES INTERVENTION PROGRAM INTERAGENCY COMMUNITY COLLABORATION Let’s work together WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE COMMON GOOD 26

27. Questions? 27

28. Joy Suder and Justin T. Wayne 28