The school-to-prison pipeline is a phenomenon in which students are funneled through the education system into the juvenile justice system, which is often due to harsh disciplinary policies, underfunded public schools, and a lack of resources. This trend disproportionately affects low-income students of color and contributes to the trend of mass incarceration in the United States (Vernikoff). This often stems from academic settings within schools; a main contributing factor is special education programs. These programs perpetuate the labeling theory, which alienates these students from their peers and scrutinizes their behavior, furthering an unsuitable learning environment and unnecessarily harsh disciplinary practices.
In the United States, 85% of incarcerated students are either in special education programs or would be eligible to obtain an IEP (individualized education program) and receive special education (Vanderpyl et. al). When students are placed in special education programs they’re immediately labeled as “unfit” and “ineducable,” and their behaviors that are brought on by these disabilities are often unfairly categorized as “delinquent.” It’s common that these special ed programs are unable to bring students to their full potential, and may not even qualify them to receive a legitimate high school diploma (Vanderpyl et. al). This is usually due to administrators and educators believing that these students are a waste of money, however, the reality is that they are desperately in need of adequate resources. Ultimately, these programs cause children to feel isolated from their peers; this may perpetuate a negative attitude towards academics and a sense of inferiority, which can cause them to act out. It so often happens that these students disproportionately receive much harsher punishments for their behavior in comparison to their peers who are not in special ed programs (Vernikoff). Children in special education classrooms with learning disabilities are almost always under heavier surveillance by educators and administrators. All of these factors culminate in an ableist, discriminatory disciplinary system for students with disabilities and subsequently place them into the juvenile justice system.
These students are seen solely for their disability and their behavior. These programs are no longer constructive or helpful; they simply act as punishments for behaviors that cannot be controlled. This system deems certain children as “abnormal” simply because they cannot survive in a system that has ableist and racist roots and is only meant to serve white, upper-middle class, able-bodied children. Diversity is so often emphasized in terms of student populations, but what administrators don’t consider is the need for diversity of ability within schools and curriculums that cater to the needs of all students. We must recognize that excluding children with specific needs is not an appropriate solution. Education should be accessible to all students and act as a resource instead of a punishment. Instead of seeing certain students as a burden, it’s time to move towards a world in which educators create a productive learning environment that can serve all children.
References
VanderPyl, Taryn, Cruz, Kelsie and McCauley, Hannah. “I Was Considered a Throw Away Child: The School-to-Prison Pipeline through the Eyes of Incarcerated Adolescent and Adult Males.” Boyhood studies 11.2 (2018): 17–33. Web.
Vernikoff, Laura. Disabling the School-to-Prison Pipeline: The Relationship Between Special Education and Arrest / Laura Vernikoff. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books, 2021. Print.
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