The School to Prison Pipeline is taking us down a dangerous road in South Carolina, one where we treat our youth as criminals, rather than the future of our state. It’s time to reverse the trend and:

1. End Suspensions and Arrests for Minor Misbehavior, including “Disturbing Schools,” which is one of the most common reasons for juvenile court referrals in the state.

2. Require Written Policies that clearly define the role of police in schools. Schools and police should agree that law enforcement agents are responsible for serious crimes - not minor incidents - and that arrest is a last resort. 

3. Collect and Make Public Data on the number of students suspended, expelled and arrested at school each year, with data broken down by offense, race, gender and disability status.