Putting 5 year olds in handcuffs does not teach children, it hurts them.
TakeItBack.org, May 21, 2022: Putting 5 year olds in handcuffs does not teach children, it hurts them.
“The school-to-prison pipeline pushes children out of the classroom and down a path that is devoid of the educational opportunities that should be nurtured within every child at every school.
“Studies show that over disciplining students’ behavior in school does not result in better outcomes for students or schools.
“Instead, students that face punishment with exclusionary school discipline policies from expulsions to suspensions are more likely to fall behind academically. And the Agency of Education and others have found that students of color, students with disabilities, and low-income students are disproportionately expelled from class, increasing structural barriers and racial inequity for families often already struggling to succeed.
“The U.S. Department of Education found that young children who are suspended or expelled are 10 times more likely to drop out of high school, experience academic failure, hold negative attitudes toward school and face incarceration than those who are not.
“Any system of discipline that seeks to punish children by removing them from the classroom rather than addressing their needs fails the students and their families.
“We must take a different approach to school discipline that puts the needs of children first. By investing in restorative justice programs that provide children with the support they need to thrive in school, we can break the school-to-prison pipeline and give children, particularly children of color targeted by unequal enforcement, the opportunities they need to succeed.”
Additional reading:
U.S. Department of Education: POLICY STATEMENT ON EXPULSION AND SUSPENSION POLICIES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD SETTINGS
