Network Schools – Wayne Gerseny to https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/03/magazine/thomas-piketty-interview u w B l.html?h I’ll smid=url-share the Is for

Journalist Donna M. Owens’ Essence article on the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act reintroduced in Congress byRep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), along with Sen Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), shares Ayanna Pressley’s compelling argument for the bill:

“Every student deserves to learn in a setting free from fear, but when our education system is intertwined with the criminal legal system, students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities are disproportionately criminalized for normal childhood behavior and are put on a pathway to confinement…

“Our bill would address this by shifting federal resources away from school police and investing in culturally responsive nurses, mental health professionals, and other trauma-informed staff that are proven to help our youth grow and reach their full potential. We must root out systemic oppression everywhere it exists—including in our schools.”

I note that Ms. Pressley uses the term “systemic oppression” as opposed to the hot-button term “systemic racism“. In noting that careful word selection, I have a concern that the adjective “systemic” will soon become a red-flag for the GOP who tend to appeal to those who view the world in an independent linear-sequential fashion instead of an interdependent holistic fashion. If children in school are perceived as having equal agency, agency that is identical for those raised in affluence and those raised in poverty, then manning the schools with police should have the same impact in all schools. But the police officer serving as a gatekeeper in an affluent suburban school is seen differently and behaves differently than the police officer supporting tough disciplinary measures in a less affluent school. Indeed, based on the data Ms. Pressley presented when she introduced the bill, students of color are disproportionately disciplined in the schools in her congressional district: 

“Every single student deserves a quality education, and the support to make that possible. But in districts across America, educational outcomes are radically unequal, particularly for children of color and kids with disabilities,” said Rep. Omar in a statement.

She noted that in her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Black students are 41 percent of the student population, but make up three-quarters of all suspensions. “Kids need support, not punishment. I am proud to join this bicameral effort to invest in social workers, counselors and personnel in schools to make sure our most vulnerable kids have the support they need,”  she said.  

And studies support Ms. Pressley’s proposed legislation:

An ACLU report shows that counselors, social workers, psychologists and other trained professionals actually improve social and educational outcomes for kids in schools, whereas the involvement of police in schools can increase the criminalization of students, particularly students of color and those with disabilities. 

I write this with some degree of despair, because I know that even IF it passes in the House it will be log-jammed in the Senate because of their rules regarding the filibuster and, as noted above, will fuel the “law and order” arguments that the GOP loves to engage in. My pessimism notwithstanding, I applaud the legislators for introducing this quixotic bill because it just might lead to a better understanding of the roles schools play in

An ACLU report shows that counselors, social workers, psychologists and other trained professionals actually improve social and educational outcomes for kids in schools, whereas the involvement of police in schools can increase the criminalization of students, particularly students of color and those with disabilities. 

I write this with some degree of despair, because I know that even IF it passes in the House it will be log-jammed in the Senate because of their rules regarding the filibuster and, as noted above, will fuel the “law and order” arguments that the GOP loves to engage in. My pessimism notwithstanding, I applaud the legislators for introducing this quixotic bill because it just might lead to a better understanding of the roles schools play in contributing to the incarceration rates for students of color and those with disabilities.