ABOLISHING ZERO TOLERANCE POLICIES IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM: ALTERNATIVES TO REDUCING DELINQUENCY AMONG SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS

Abstract

Zero tolerance policies once promoted as a solution to youth violence have created a school to prison pipeline. Widespread discipline practices of suspension, expulsion, and arrest for school behavior problems are turning kids in conflict into criminal offenders (Skiba, 2014). Research shows that school discipline and school-based arrests may serve as a negative turning point for youth and contribute to increased odds of arrest over time. Students with disabilities (SWD) have been reported to be disproportionately suspended from U.S. schools and so more likely to experience the “school-to-prison pipeline” through suspension's associations with lower academic achievement, dropout, juvenile delinquency, and adult criminality. No data exist to show that out-of-school suspensions and expulsions as well as school-based arrests reduce disruption or improve school climate. One of the more consistent findings when looking at school discipline has been a high degree of racial disparity in school suspension and expulsion. In the United States, Black students are consistently suspended at rates two to three times higher than those for other students, and are similarly overrepresented in office referrals, expulsions, and corporal punishment. This paper presents findings from a qualitative analysis of special education youth who attended school at a recreation center in Brooklyn New York. The analysis helps provide an understanding of the relationship between alternative high school education and offending. This study focuses on youth who were at risk for offending due to poor academic performance and previous delinquent involvement. Prior to attending school at this facility, the individuals were previously exposed to an environment that put them at risk for delinquency. According to Wang and Fredericks (2014), interventions that aim to improve school engagement may promote positive youth development, including reducing involvement in problem behaviors even among special education students. Research also shows that behavioral and emotional engagement in school can promote academic development and also function as protective factors in buffering against delinquency. The young men in this sample engaged in specific activities that they would not normally take part in at a traditional special education program. The presence of learning disabilities by itself does not increase the risk for delinquency; however, youths’ limited knowledge, skills, and expectations may make them less able to avoid misconduct and acting out behaviors. This paper provides support for preventative measures to youth conflict and delinquency by placing special education students in an environment that promotes pro-social behavior. The current paper also looks at the role of neighborhood institutions and its impact on alternative high school education. Lastly, findings from this research provide viable alternatives to zero tolerance policies that disproportionately impact minority students and students with learning disabilities.