Experts at Auburn University say there's a “culture of removal of Black students” in Alabama classrooms, which can have a number of harmful long-term impacts, including effectively derailing a student’s education and future prospects.
CJ wanted to take his mom to prom. He wanted to have his parents walk him out to the mound on his high school baseball team’s senior night, with college prospects who had courted him throughout the summer in the stands.
In Alabama, Black students are nearly twice as likely to face every type of classroom removal as compared to their white peers. Eventually CJ’s parents would withdraw him from the district altogether, so he could be homeschooled,. At the onset of the pandemic, 3.3% of Black families were home-schooling their children, but as of the end of 2020, the rate rose to over 16% partly due to Black students being over-disciplined, according to researchers.
Shortly after, school officials called him to the office where the other students were waiting. CJ said Assistant Principal Ryan Rust and the school resource officer asked the boys if they had marijuana on them. When they said no, the administrator threatened to call in police dogs to find out. In a statement to AL.com, Tuscaloosa City Schools Superintendent Mike Daria said “Tuscaloosa City Schools is committed to following established policies and procedures for addressing any disciplinary issues that may arise, including alternative placement when deemed necessary…It is also important to note that our strategic plan includes a strong focus on student success.
The school district went back and forth during its investigation, creating too many inconsistencies from the very first day, Jones said: CJ was told in the separate room that his other friends told officials it was his weed, but all official documents said no one claimed it belonged to them and only the driver was charged.The trust the Jones family initially had in the school system began to break down at an Individualized Education Plan meeting to determine whether CJ’s disciplinary infraction was connected to his learning disability.
“It’s not a solution. It’s overlooking any of the whys and hows and takes anybody who actually knows these kids out of the picture. When students go to those hearings, they’re going to be faced with people who don’t know them and don’t have any specific concern about them,” said Valerie Trull, a Tuscaloosa City parent who advocated against the new policy and is a college instructor of juvenile criminology.
The use of alternative schools in particular, which were once options for students who had trouble learning in traditional K-12 environments, has “risen dramatically in the last two decades” as they have evolved into disciplinary spaces, according to Baggett and Andrezejewski. According to the, nationwide enrollment in alternative schools that serve disciplinary purposes has grown from 200,000 students in 1992 to over 400,000 in 2019.
“We do have preventative measures in place to reduce [alternative school] placements and other exclusionary actions. Some of those programs include positive behavior support plans and we identify students that have at-risk behaviors prior to the school year starting, so that behavior contracts can be developed,” a spokesperson for the district said, noting additional programs such as a safe environment initiative and wrap-around services available for students at the alternative school.
Where many students have struggled with virtual schooling throughout the pandemic, CJ’s grades have improved.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Key supporter of Texas school chaplain bill has pushed for evangelism in schoolsRocky Malloy, a self-described former drug-smuggling pirate, has led a group that promotes chaplains as a tool to proselytize to schoolchildren. Texas txlege TexasSchools TexasEducation school education SeparationOfChurchAndState
Read more »
Alpine School District's proposed school closure public process draw lawmakers' attentionParents in the Alpine School District have caught the attention of lawmakers due to the School Board's handling of the potential closure of five elementary schools. JimSpiewak
Read more »
Black Arts Festival brings 'rich and relevant' Black stories to San Diego theater communityDanielle Bunch heads communications for the San Diego Black Artist Collective, which is holding its annual Black Arts Festival at The Old Globe from May 25 to 28
Read more »
‘I am very proud’: School custodian goes back to school at 45 to earn diplomaA school custodian returned to the classroom to earn his high school diploma.
Read more »
‘I am very proud’: School custodian goes back to school at 45 to earn diplomaA school custodian returned to the classroom to earn his high school diploma.
Read more »
‘I am very proud’: School custodian goes back to school at 45 to earn diplomaA school custodian returned to the classroom to earn his high school diploma.
Read more »