Introduction

Many students across the United Students find themselves in predicaments where they lack the opportunity to succeed academically. This could be due to unfair policies, racism, or unidentified disabilities. With this, these struggles could lead to issues in the classroom dealing with behavior or discipline. It is often said that today’s youth are the key to a successful future; however, there are certain implications of school system procedures and regulations that only optimize the flow of disadvantaged students being introduced to the justice system, often as a result of a student engaging in a minor behavioral infraction. In many areas across the country, students are faced with strict zero-tolerance disciplinary policies that, often times, impose strict punishments for classroom misbehavior. With this, the school-to-prison pipeline is a current theory and national phenomenon in the United States that suggests that zero-tolerance disciplinary policies, which have been adopted by school districts have only increased the rate at which students in grade school are introduced to the justice system. This has also developed a trend in which youth and adults frequently become involved in legal matters before a court of law that results in jail time or a prison sentence.

In a current climate where school shootings and violence is prevalent, school districts have taken great measures to ensure that students and school environments are safe and protected; however, the measures that are taken are severely strict and have led to the premature introduction of youth to the justice system, which has developed trends where students become trapped in legal situations and often find themselves in handcuffs in the back of a patrol car or before a judge in a court of law. This has developed a disparity between certain racial and socioeconomic groups and has contributed to the ruination of positive relationships between schools, communities, and the law in many areas in the United States.

This paper examines the perceptions that exist in the community regarding school discipline and why people may feel the way they do. Education is one of those aspects of society that builds up youth so that they may be able to make substantial contributions to their communities; however, if how people feel about certain boundaries in the field of education is understood, society may be better able to move forward to provide youth with the best education and tools to be successful. By understanding perceptions of issues, this paper raises awareness for the impact that the manner in which discipline is conducted can truly have in an educational environment, the community, the country, and the world. Though it only covers a small percentage of the world, this paper assists in giving society the answers to problems that must be solved in the educational realm. If people begin to understand one another, society will be better able to make changes to each issue respectively.

Description of Research

The information for this paper was collected by performing brief interviews, which were recorded using phone applications over a seven-week period. Some of the interviews I conducted were completed through email due to certain limiting circumstances. The questions that were a part of the interviews are as follows: What do you consider to be your relationship with the topic of school discipline and the school-to-prison pipeline? Are you a teacher, parent, counselor, administrator, or resource officer?; Are you aware of current disciplinary policies in schools and the school to prison pipeline? If so, what are your beliefs of zero-tolerance disciplinary policies and its relationship to the school-to-prison pipeline?; Are you aware of any particular cases, in which discipline played a substantial role in the school-to-prison pipeline?; What do you think are the primary reasons for the increase in suspensions, expulsions, and in-school arrests in schools across the United States?; Do you believe students of color are more likely to receive harsh punishments for misbehavior in schools? Is there any evidence of this disparity in your own life’s experiences?;  Based on your response to the previous question, do you believe that current disciplinary policies in schools are fair? Why?; Violence in schools has seen a significant increase due to school shootings and gang-related violence that finds its way into schools. How can policies be put in place that not only protect students but also gives all students the opportunity to a fair education?; School resource officers have been implemented into schools nationwide (USA) in an effort to combat school-based violence. With this, do you feel as though school resource officers are more likely to criminalize misbehavior?; What do suggest be done to ensure that all of America’s children are not targeted for misbehavior and are provided with a fair and quality education?; Do you have any other comments pertaining to the topic that have not been previously addressed?.

The overarching research question for this research paper is, how do zero-tolerance disciplinary policies impact the phenomenon known as the school-to-prison pipeline? With this, the questions in this interview connect to the research question, because each question identifies a component of zero-tolerance policies and the school-to-prison pipeline.

Research

Based on the information and perspectives obtained through the interviews, I was able to identify three main themes: zero tolerance is an issue, school resource officers are not adequately trained to deal with students, and race is biased in school administration.

Patterns throughout the interviews were examined in order to code themes. Member checking also occurred by sharing transcripts of the interviews with the participants in order for them to acknowledge that the transcription was an accurate account of the interview. Because all interview participants were over the age of eighteen, member checking was done in lieu of developing consent forms, which would be necessary in the case of a minor being interviewed as part of this research. All themes developed are an overall direct representation of the information received in each interview. With this, the overarching theme, which was found in this qualitative study is when there is a zero tolerance policy is in place, school resource officers are not adequately trained, and race is biased in school administration, the chance for a student to be a part of the school-to-prison pipeline is greatly increased. Of the ten individuals interviewed, seven felt that students were often misunderstood, and the remaining three felt that students should be held accountable for their misbehavior. Key stakeholders include the following: central office administrator, principal, parent, school resource officer, administrator from Virginia Beach jail program, a guidance counselor, and a teacher.

In the following sections, each of the four themes produced will be further explained with evidence completely drawn from the interviews that were conducted.

Theme 1: Zero tolerance disciplinary policies are an issue. Emergent from this theme are the ideas that zero tolerance disciplinary policies being used as a discipline tool are ineffective and outdated, which could lead directly to the school-to-prison pipeline. According to interviews, the zero tolerance policy is prejudged because it does not allow for situational factors to be considered nor does it provide restorative practices when establishing consequences. Joseph May, a school counselor explained:

The zero tolerance policy is not a very smart one, in my opinion, because it doesn’t teach children about forgiveness and that everybody is going to make a mistake every once in a while. And, children who have disciplinary problems need to understand that, yes, there are consequences but every child should not be treated the same.

The responses given suggested that there should be consequences for misbehavior, but every student should not be treated the same. This, therefore, means that a universal policy regarding discipline is more likely to hurt a student rather than help a student obtain necessary assistance. Mr. May further explains, “that teaches the child that “I can do whatever I want to do” and when there are too many consequences it also has an adverse effect because then a child becomes more aggressive sometimes.”

Discipline should be measured based on who the student is by adopting a more situational or case-by-case approach. Discipline can’t be across the board, written on a piece of paper, in which every rule applies to every child.

Theme 2: School resource officers are not adequately trained to deal with youth in a school setting. The ideas presented in connection to this theme suggest that school resource officers are more likely to criminalize misbehavior. Because officers are not educators, they look at situations from a criminal perspective. Security in the school needs to be made up of professionals who have been trained to deal with student misbehavior. By placing police officers in school buildings students are more likely to have to face being arrested on school grounds. Dennis Jones, a school administrator with the Jails Education Program solidifies this idea by sharing the following:

More likely, because officers are not educators, and they look at things from a criminal perspective. They’re going to think...they think differently, they were trained differently. I think the security in the school needs to be made up of professionals and there need to be a lot more security officers. One resource officer can’t handle 600 kids. School resource officers need to undergo more training if they should be put in schools.

Shaun Johnson, a school teacher, also stated:

I have seen officers criminalize behaviors. For example, I’ve seen an officer call a fight disorderly conduct when it did not have to be, but that consequence was provided and was more than likely done to negatively impact the kid.

Ultimately, school resource officers not being trained to deal with youth in school setting. This, in turn, increases the chances of a student being arrested, standing before a judge in a courtroom, or serving jail time in a process that repeats itself, which, therefore, promotes the school-to-prison pipeline. To avoid this issue, school resource officers should be required to undergo specific training that prepares them to deal with students on a daily basis in a school setting.

Theme 3: The manner in which a student is disciplined is dependent upon racial bias. This theme presented the idea that explicit bias, racial microaggressions, and other practices within the classroom and administration have a subtle influence on how students of color are disciplined. African-American boys are more likely to be disciplined and suspended from school, because they are misunderstood by most caucasians. Joseph May, a guidance counselor stated, “in many cases a student of color’s actions may have come across as aggressive or inappropriate when it is, in fact, just a form of self-expression that others of the majority are just not accustomed to.” With this, it is evident that the misunderstanding of certain student’s behavior has a profound impact on how administrators or other school officials act in cases where a student must be disciplined. This may present itself by black students being targeted more when it comes to discipline. Mary Jenkins, a school administrator, explained this claim further:

Research supports that black students are more likely to be disciplined. We see this within our own schools. Black students are disproportionately involved in school discipline reports. It is important, however, to recognize that some administrators and other officials have at least stated the conversation about ways to improve discipline efforts in our schools. The hard part is to uncover people’s beliefs under the willingness to improve, which often results in the identification of biases.

Responses also revealed that perhaps students with disabilities are more likely to be disciplined at higher rates, because school officials don’t consider what disability is or the fact that a disability exists. These students also fall into the category of being disproportionately disciplined because their disciplinary guidelines are the same as the policies put in place for students without disabilities, in most instances If students become involved in more disciplinary matters, they will begin a trend that will eventually end up in prison.

Discussion

It is widely upheld that students and children are the key to the future and its success; however, there is a grey area that remains present due to the issues that certain students must endure, especially school discipline and the wretched school-to-prison pipeline. The school-to-prison pipeline is a phenomenon that has shaped the lives of many students in a way that is negative and contributes to the flow of students into the legal system. There is a clear disparity that exists between certain students, which puts students ahead and puts students behind. So, the question remains, how can an equilibrium be reached that ensures that all students succeed personally and academically? Officials must face the truth and realize that the true issue lies within one’s own self and that in order provide for all students, they must appeal to the personal needs of students, remove any bias, and champion the rights students deserve. A strong finding in this research is that discipline should be on a more situational, case-by-case basis. One person who was interviewed stated the following:

I do believe we need to have a common language around how classrooms and offices are managed and be aware of general guidelines for behavioral violations in the school, but I do believe that we need to consider the situational factors and restorative practices in establishing consequences. I know that students who often receive suspensions also have increased interactions with law enforcement.

It is clear that the manner in which a student is disciplined has a direct correlation to the school-to-prison pipeline that has made a reputation of sending students into the legal system. It is important, however, that the country as whole does away with bias, harsh disciplinary policies, and negative community, student, and law enforcement relationships. When this happens, the educational system of the United States can be redefined and Americans will be able to take part in the school-to-success pipeline.

The findings from these interviews conducted further solidified prior research conducted that explained that there is concern regarding school discipline and the school-to-prison pipeline phenomenon, and is dependent upon the functions of a school building. The findings demonstrated the fact that many of the disciplinary issues in schools are a result of racial bias, students being misunderstood, and students not being provided the resources they deserve. Many of the participants in the interviews are not physically in a school building on a day-to-day basis, but were able to attest to the following themes: zero tolerance policies are an issue, racial bias is present in administrative processes and students with unidentified disabilities are subject to harsher punishments, and school resource officers are not adequately trained or prepared to deal with students in a school setting. Because the interview participants were able to attest to this, this research paper, therefore, proves that in a large urban district, students face harsh policies and procedures that makes becoming involved in criminal justice system and processes that ultimately result in jail time or a prison sentence easier.

The purpose for including research obtained from the interviews of key stakeholders only adds to research that suggests that it is necessary to partner with community, parents, and students to identify ways to reduce violence. Until all stakeholders are included in recognizing the criminalization of student behaviors to match that of consequences enforced by law enforcement, effective strategies will not be created that appeal to the personal needs of students in the United States. In addition, the recognition of students disabilities and the utilization of restorative practices will aid efforts in providing America’s students with the best possible education and restructuring the school-to-prison pipeline.