The School-to-Prison Pipeline
The School to Prison Pipeline is a vast system of structural inequalities which form a channel that pushes children out of public schools and into the criminal justice system. One common manifestation of the pipeline occurs when certain student's behavior are interpreted through a biased lens, and they are punished harsher than their peers.
Frequently, disparties among who is disciplined exist. Black youth are at a higher risk of receiving out-of-school suspension than their White peers.
- Black youth with disabilities are 8x more likely to receive out-of-school suspension
- Black students are 5x more likely to receive OSS than their white peers
- Black children with disabilities are suspended 3x more frequently than white children with disabilities
- Black students make up 16% of Missouri's school population but 46% of the suspensions as discipline
The ACLU of Missouri Mobile Justice smartphone app was created to empower individuals to hold Missouri law enforcement agencies accountable for their actions. Learn more.
Get Involved
Do you have lived-experiences with school-based suspensions, expulsions, or corporal punishment? If you are interested in sharing, please send an email to Iyaun Bell at IBell@aclu-mo.org or Sydney Smith at SSmith@aclu-mo.org.
Upcoming Events
National Voter Registration Day (Sept 19): Our Community Engagement Restorative Justice Fellows, Sydney and Iyaun, conducted voter registration events on Saturday and Tuesday. With the help of voter solicitors, they could engage and register several voters. Looking at November General Election Data, Pemiscot County struggles with low voter turnout rates. We hope that turnout will increase with educational efforts and continued voter registration drives. Voting creates positive change in local, state, and federal elections. Residents can directly vote for their public officials and school board members. Your voice matters. Your vote matters. Register to vote today!
You can check, update, and register to vote on the secretary of state’s website: https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections
View pictures from previous events.
Family Engagement Meetings
Caruthersville Public Library
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month.
Dates:
- June 13, 2023
- July 11, 2023
- August 8, 2023
- September 12, 2023
- October 10, 2023
- November 14, 2023

For past events, visit our acrhive page.