so, to really solve this problem, i state again.

racism and bigotry on the individual level must be eradicated in order for real change on a systemic and institutional level can ever be attained. this can be as simple as attempting to read something that might shine a light on your behaviors as a white person. America as a country is plagued with these problems of racism, and it's up to the individual to advocate for actual change.

as seen throughout history, bigotry always comes from a place of fear. however, the key part of that fear is that it is unfounded or blatantly wrong. this applies here, more than anything else. the idea that BIPOC are "dangerous" or somehow subhuman is racist, and a horrible idea. it exists not as a reality, but as an assumption based off of and founded on old racist ideas from slavery was around, which wasn't that long ago. while slavery may have ended a while ago, it's effects are still felt today, and it's repercussions are very real.

the system isn't broken, which is the main problem. rather, the system prevalent in America is simply corrupt and working in it's intended manner, oppressing marginalized communities and creating hatred at a time when unity and love is needed most. while unity and love is good, it's not going to help solve the problem. in order to solve the problem, those who have the privilege and are white
(non-BIPOCS) must learn the real error of their ways, not a watered down version made to let white people feel good about themselves.

the system isn't a force that is fake, rather, the system is incredibly prevalent, much more in BIPOCs lives than white people's lives because of their skin color. this racism also isn't a new concept. it's been around for as long as America has as America is founded on racism, they abused the lives of so many and have created this abhorrent and ergieous situation and system we now live in today.

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although these are helpful, the core of the issue is a societal change.

all of these issues that create the formed school to prison pipeline are inherent to racism, the cycle of poverty, and the same narrative that permeates everything around it. this pipeline helps perpetuate the narratives today that keep BIPOC where they are, and keep this cycle of poverty happening. as an individual, you can advocate for help for these people, to allocate funding from the police force to education in order to prevent crime from happening again and again. this problem deals with racism, and by adovacting against it, you can help.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/its-time-to-end-the-school-to-prison-pipeline_b_5953f54be4b0326c0a8d0d37
https://www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline

this year a pilot project was launched in Michigan as a way to combat the school to prison pipeline. it uses education as a way to keep these children out of the courtroom.

In an article written by news site MLive’s Monica Scott, Kent County Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Feeney noted, “Our first goal was to change the definition of truancy and chronic absenteeism in Kent County, as not all schools had the same definition. These common definitions allow the court to treat truancy the same in each school district and to track the effectiveness of truancy programs.”
truancy and dropouts are a chronic problems in Wyoming and Grand Rapid schools. these areas, affected by the school to prison pipeline, also have disproportionate poverty rates. this divulges the concept of the discrepancy between being educated and and being "poor".

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2017/03/truancy_pilot_hopes_to_keep_ki.html

in order to truly solve the problem presented here, people need to use a plethora of resources available. however, because the problem is rooted in white supremacy, racism, and classism, those problems must first be solved. this includes literally just not being overtly racist, but also not performing any microaggression that feeds into this idea of the school to prison pipeline. a lot of this comes from the predisposed idea that all BIPOC are the same, and that all BIPOC live in poverty, "ghettos", and a plethora more of these stereotypes.

some good resources on this are these books:

• me and white supremacy by Layla Saad
• how to be an anti-racist by Ibram X. Kendi
• this book is anti-racist by Tiffany Jewell
• why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum

a plethora of this begins because of the problem with inadequate resources in public schools. this means overcrowded classrooms, teachers that have no idea what they're doing, inefficient extras, or other extracurriculars that simply don't exist. this causes failures, dropouts, and what the school to prison pipeline exists for, increased crime rate. due to the school itself becoming a hostile environment, it causes multiple problems that grow outward.

police, instead of teachers, attempt to discipline the students. as a result, there is almost no leniency or actual learning from their mistakes. instead, these children are shown a horrible environment and thus become products of their environment. these students are not like the super-predators that were proposed during the 90s'. this pipeline is a real thing that is not the fault of the children who are affected by it.

in 2019, the National Center for State Courts released a paper by Dr. Fred Cheesman called Facts About the School-to-Prison Pipeline as part of the 28th National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in Courts. Cheesman, a research consultant specializing in juvenile justice, sentencing and problem-solving courts, stated “Class inequalities in incarceration are reflected in the very low educational level of those in prison and jail. The legitimate labor market opportunities for men with no more than a high school education have deteriorated as the prison population has grown, and prisoners themselves are drawn overwhelmingly from the least educated. State prisoners average just a 10th grade education, and about 70 percent have no high school diploma.”

this serves as proof that a mass amount of these communities affected by this are real, and this idea of a school to prison pipeline isn't just a made-up thing.

what is the school to prison pipeline?

the school-to-prison pipeline, a disturbing national trend wherein children are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. many of these children have mental disabilities or are below the poverty line, abuse, alcoholism, and drug addiction households, and would gain help from education, and other forms of sanctuary. instead, they are isolated, punished, and pushed out.

Zero-tolerance policies criminalize minor infractions of school rules, while cops in schools lead to students being criminalized for behavior that should be handled inside the school. these low-level crimes end up hurting these children who's lives are then taken from them by this pipeline.