End the School to Prison Pipeline in CO

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Our schools should be safe places where students can learn, build relationships, and make mistakes. But unfortunately, "getting in trouble" at school no longer means just a trip to the principal's office and a stern talking to.

These days, our school disciplinary procedures too often push students into an unforgiving criminal justice system with tickets and arrests for minor incidents like tobacco or vaping use. School discipline should help students learn better behavior and do not necessitate the costly and harmful experiences that come with the school-to-prison pipeline.

Continuing historical racial inequities, most of these tickets and arrests were of Colorado's Black and Latinx students, with Black students being especially overrepresented. Students with disabilities are also
overrepresented and are two and a half times more likely to be ticketed or arrested than their peers.

Moreover, an alarming number of the students being introduced to the juvenile and criminal justice systems are very young. For example, from 2014 to 2020, 28% of the tickets and arrests were students aged 13 or younger, and 68% were students aged 15 or younger. There were at least 1,739 tickets and arrests of 10 and 11 year-olds during those six years.

Minor, non-violent misconduct should be handled by educators, administrators, and support staff in schools, not law enforcement.

SB21-182 encourages the use of positive approaches to school discipline and prioritizes evidence-based strategies like restorative justice and mental health supports, providing school districts and schools the ability to appropriately address student misconduct and discipline while allowing flexibility to ensure schools still have the tools necessary when an incident may call for escalation.

This bill is a common-sense approach to building stronger, healthier schools in Colorado and essential to addressing racial inequity, keeping students learning in school, and ending unnecessary involvement with the criminal justice system.

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Tell your legislator: Schools should be safe, encouraging environments for learning, not an on-ramp to a life of arrests and incarceration.

SB21-182 will ensure our children have positive models of constructive criticism, devoid of historical racism, ableism, or the threat of the criminal justice system.

Some statistics on the current system:

From 2014 to 2020, more than 38,000 students were ticketed or arrested in K-12 schools. A majority of these tickets and arrests are for minor incidents, including tobacco or vaping use.

Most of these tickets and arrests were of Colorado’s Black and Latinx students, with Black students being especially overrepresented.

Black students are nearly 3 TIMES more likely to be ticketed or arrested than their white peers.

Students with disabilities are also overrepresented and are 2.5 TIMES more likely to be ticketed or arrested than their peers.

From 2014 to 2020, there were at least 1,739 tickets and arrests of 10 and 11-year-olds in Colorado schools.

If we want to create a better world, we have to show our children what that can look like. Let’s right these historical wrongs and give our students the safe, nurturing surroundings they deserve.

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Dear [Your Senator],

My name is [Your Name] and I am one of your constituents. I'm asking you to vote YES on SB21-182: School Discipline.

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