Earlier this month, the
federal government offered guidance to school districts that use police
officers to keep order in their public schools. To say guidance is
needed is a vast understatement.
Since the deployment of
officers in schools became routine across the country, there’s been no
shortage of reports about children being pepper-sprayed, handcuffed,
roughed up and otherwise abused by officers – often for nothing more
than typical adolescent behavior.
In many jurisdictions, school officials have essentially turned over routine disciplinary matters to the police.
Because police are in the business of combatting crime, not educating
children, the results shouldn’t surprise anyone. Misbehavior that once
earned a student a stern reprimand – or maybe a stint in study hall –
now can land a kid behind bars. Instead of a trip to the guidance
counselor, a child who gets in trouble now often faces a maze of court
appearances, fines and even jail time. The consequences for children and
families can be enormous.
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Source: The Southern Poverty Law Center
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