Shealyn+M’s+2018+OpEd+Article

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Zero tolerance for poverty. Zero tolerance for abuse. Zero tolerance for neglect, drugs, disabilities, differences. Where is our sensitivity, compassion, empathy? Why do we force cultural normalities on the atypical? I have heard stories of unforgiving childhoods. There was a child with one parent in jail. The other suffering from addiction. A child with no mother and a father calling for disownment. A child on probation since the age of 12. I have heard stories of criminalization and prejudice. A 6 year old handcuffed for throwing items in the classroom, she was African American. The perpetrator and victim, suspended or expelled, the punishment is the same, zero tolerance. Students going to jail for deviance, not following the dress code and missing class. Schools demanding students to pass through metal detectors everyday, unreasonable inspections of backpacks, pat downs with sexual abuse, and the over policing of SROs (school resource officer) and cops. The disproportionate incarceration of students of minorities can be seen starting in preschool and become more inhumane as the student continues to higher education. The school to prison pipeline is reorienting lives and crushing any future for these students. Administration quickly assumes labels for ‘troubled youth’ without investigation, and using zero tolerance policies (suspension, expulsion, ‘opportunities’ school) DOES NOT HELP THE ISSUE. The student’s, assigned, false reputation harms their credibility and the school deliberately neglects their emotional needs. Often times the ‘troubled youth’ is a reaction to another person’s action, family issues, societal pressure, yet the students are victimized. Moreover by just locationally displacing the student to their home or another school it is a futile effort to solve the real emotional and social pain. A holistic approach must be taken and students must see the humanity in one another to truly explain and resolve the conflict. Further, with little to no support and the belief that nobody concerns themself of their wellbeing, and future, a feeling of hopelessness and despondency emerges. These children are underprotected and the burden of intersectionality is forced upon them at an early age. They ask, why should I care if nobody cares about me? Why should I try if every action is a crime? High dropout and suspension rates statistically dictate the prospect of ending up in prison. They need counseling and humanizing efforts from schools, however they, alone, face the cruel policies and laws. How can punishment solve an issue that can only be solved with tolerance?