The recommendations from the Obama administration came today with Reverand Al Sharpton side-by-side with Eric Holder.
The civil rights advocates are claiming that the “school-to-prison” trend is due to overzealous school discipline policies that are targeting blacks and Hispanics.
Attorney General Eric Holder said the problem often stems from “zero-tolerance” policies that too often inject the criminal justice system into the resolution of problems. Zero tolerance policies often spell out uniform and swift punishment for offenses such as truancy, smoking or carrying a weapon. Violators can lose classroom time or become saddled with a criminal record.
“Ordinary trouble making can sometimes provoke responses that are overly severe, including out of school suspensions, expulsions and even referral to law enforcement and then you end up with kids that end up in police precincts instead of the principal’s office,” Holder said.
Holder is claiming that more than half of students involved in school-related arrests or incidents that involved law enforcement were Hispanic or black. The government and civil rights advocates are also accusing school resource officers of being too hard on blacks and Hispanics.
Hold says he wants schools to ensure that school officers have a good relationship with the students, and wants teachers to use “conflict resolution” instead of involving police.
Holder fell short of saying blacks and Hispanics should be allowed to skip school, bring weapons to school, disrespect teachers, and if they are caught, slap them on the wrist.
Al Sharpton says blacks are clearly disciplined for their actions more than whites. Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan were guests on Al Sharpton’s radio show on January 7, 2013, in an attempt to promote the “recommendations” to school districts.
No mention was ever made during Holders “recommendations” in regards to parents in the black and Hispanic communities taking a more active role in their child’s life in order to teach them respect for teachers and others around them. Holder seemed to solely place the blame on police officers and teachers, not holding parents accountable for the upbringing of their children. Holder also failed to mention data that shows that “more than half” of student arrested for behavioral problems stemmed from family members, namely parents, that are also in the prison system.
The Obama administration says the recommendations are nonbinding, but, the federal government is being very clear in telling school districts around the United States that they should adhere to the principles of fairness and equity in student discipline or face strong action if they don’t; thus giving problem children more ammunition to fight teachers and increasing the potential for bullying toward other innocents students.
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