Crowd Packs Meeting on School-to-Prison Pipeline

July 31, 2015

Summary

King County and Seattle City Councilmembers meet with public to discuss what needs to be done

Story

In a packed south Seattle meeting hall, there was a passionate discussion involving activists and the public on the issues that have created the growing school-to-prison pipeline in the region and the steps they say need to occur to end it.

More than 300 people were in the NewHolly Gathering Hall July 29 for a special Town Hall hosted by members of the Metropolitan King County Council and the Seattle City Council. The Councilmembers heard about the effort needed on both a local and county level to ensure that students of color are receiving the multicultural education and relevant services needed to keep them in school—and out of the criminal justice system.

“We heard powerful testimony on conditions that have led to the current situation, where it is easier to suspend a student than try to educate them,” said County Councilmember Larry Gossett, who was joined by County Councilmembers Joe McDermott and Rod Dembowski. “This meeting was a vital start to a conversation that needs to take place, we don’t want to lose any more students to a system that is not geared to meeting their educational needs.”

City Councilmembers Bruce Harrell and Kshama Sawant attended the meeting with Councilmember Mike O’Brien, who co-hosted the event with Gossett.

“We heard powerful testimony around the need for radical change in all of the institutions that are creating the racial disparities that we see in our jails,” said O’Brien. “I think both the City and County need to take a good, hard look in the mirror and really challenge ourselves to do everything in our power to end the school-to-prison pipeline.”

One of the most accurate predictors of adult criminal justice involvement are suspensions and expulsion while in school. South Seattle schools have higher rates than other parts of the city, and South King County school districts rank as high, or higher in some cases, than Seattle Public Schools. African American and other students of color are grossly overrepresented in those numbers.

In a panel discussion moderated by Elmer Dixon, President of Executive Diversity Services, the members heard from educators, social activists and students on the current educational system and the systemic issues that have created the disproportionality that impact students of color.

Students Audreyanna Leatualii, a graduate of Seattle School District’s Middle College High School and Jaelonie Ayers, who attends the Interagency School, discussed how the approach at these two schools kept them from dropping out. Ayers mentioned that teachers and administrators were willing to discuss issues with him instead of simply pulling him out class, which had happened at his previous school.

Educator Paul Kurose and Seattle School Board member Betty Patu, both products of the Seattle School System, discussed how changing the current conditions in schools must involve a partnership between school districts, students and the communities.

The public spoke to the panelists and Councilmembers about the challenges they face navigating the systemic issues that disproportionally impact students of color. Testimony included young people being disciplined for issues ranging from “saggy pants” to being marked tardy due to issues surrounding transportation—late metro buses opposed to those students who still receive transportation to school by school bus.

Councilmember Gossett ended the meeting by saying all of the Councilmembers in attendance were committed to the meeting being the start of a process, not just a single event. He told the audience the next step is to take the information they received and being developing recommendations to present to both councils as well as schools district on ways to address the issue.