Take Action! End Arrests For Zero Tolerance

Arrested For Zero Tolerance

“The scariest part was probably being handcuffed.”

By all accounts Kyle Thompson is a normal 14-year old kid who loves playing football and hanging out with his friends. His principal says he’d love to have an entire school filled with students like Kyle.

And yet, after a misunderstanding with his teacher, Kyle was led from school in handcuffs, was expelled from all state public schools for a year, and is now spending the year under house arrest.

Please Consider the Broader Issue! Minority Kids Disproportionately Impacted By Zero-Tolerance Laws

To the Chairpersons of the Michigan House and Senate Education Committees:

‘Zero-tolerance’ laws criminalize young students for minor infractions that should be dealt with internally by schools. Reform ‘zero-tolerance’ laws now so that our kids are put on a path to success rather than a path to prison.

Sign

Kyle’s teacher wanted to see a note he had written, and when she playfully tried to take it from him, he tried to hold on to it. Even though all the witness statements said that the teacher was joking around and Kyle didn’t act aggressively, the incident ended with Kyle under arrest. He’s now represented by a criminal defense attorney.

Sadly, Kyle’s story is not unique. Countless young students are treated the same—and even worse—because of a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to school discipline that is spreading across the U.S. It takes kids out of the education system and funnels them into the criminal justice system because of a single, small infraction. There, they can look forward to a life of neglect and lost opportunity, as it can be impossible to find new schools or attend college once their records are tainted.

And because of documented bias in the application of justice, these policies often hit students of color the hardest. In Kyle’s case, his school says it was prevented from handling punishment differently, stating: “The issue raised in this petition presents an opportunity for citizens to examine ‘zero tolerance’ laws in Michigan…”

So this doesn’t have to be the end of Kyle’s story, or the stories of thousands of students just like him. With enough public pressure, we can push Michigan to change their ill-conceived ‘zero-tolerance’ law and set an example for states to prioritize educating, not imprisoning our young students.

Sign the petition now calling on the Michigan Legislature to reform zero-tolerance laws and keep students like Kyle in school and out of jail.

The School-To-Prison-Pipeline As a result of discriminatory disciplinary policies in schools, students of color are increasingly funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Many of these children have learning disabilities or histories of poverty, abuse or neglect, and would benefit from additional educational and counseling services. But instead, they are isolated, punished and pushed out.

To See the American Civil Liberties

[ACLU] School-Prison-To-Pipeline – Gone Too Far; Our Kids in Handcuffs
Related Article ACLU Petitions for Farmington Hills Teen to Go Back to Class
Please Consider the Broader Issue! Minority Kids Disproportionately Impacted By Zero-Tolerance Laws [/