End the school-to-prison pipeline

As a Monroe County Family Court Judge and former Chief of Staff of the Rochester City School District I have had a unique perspective regarding the issue of school-to-prison pipeline. 

The school-to-prison pipeline is where a disproportionally large number of young people of color are funneled out of public schools and into the criminal justice system. It is a reflection of disciplinary policies and practices in our schools.

I have seen firsthand how districts or individual schools, in their attempt to address discipline within their school system, adopt a “get tough” approach using out of school suspension, expulsion, and arrests. I have seen school policies contribute to the existing racial and ethnic disparities in public education.

These inequalities often produce lower graduation rates among minority youth, which contributes to higher rates of criminality among these youth. One in five Rochester students drop out of school while one in three students graduate from high school on time. Only 13 percent of our students are proficient in English Language Arts and Math.

We must link schools to pipeline busting community resources that they can access and that provide interventions for children and families. I had the pleasure to be involved in with one such community resource at both RCSD, and now in the Courts, is the JUST Law program. The JUST Law program was designed to educate 6th through 9th grade students about the U.S. legal system.  For example, through the program, judges visit participating schools in the RCSD, where they explain the workings of the justice system works, as well as the role it plays in the Rochester community. In turn, students share their experiences with the system.

The key to the program is collaboration. The effort aims to help RCSD middle-school students and high-school freshmen better understand the law and our country’s legal system. Through this program students gain legal literacy, develop strong writing skills, and hope that through this positive pipeline, students may prepare for potential career opportunities in the court system.

Let’s end the school-to-prison pipeline for good.

Fatimat O. Reid

Monroe County Family Court Judge