ABA Midyear Meeting program to examine strategies for halting the school-to-prison pipeline

Former American Bar Association President Paulette Brown and U.S. Rep. Troy A. Carter Sr. are the featured speakers at the “Halting the School-to-Prison Pipeline Stakeholders Convening” during the 2023 ABA Midyear Meeting, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, February 4, in New Orleans. Carter represents the 2nd Congressional District in Louisiana.

Convening stakeholders will review and comment on key issues addressed in the draft legislative toolkit designed to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. Following the meeting, the ABA will launch a notice and comment period to solicit comments on the full scope of recommendations presented in the toolkit. Once final, the toolkit will be published by the ABA as part of a school-to-prison pipeline legislative resource page.

Sponsored by the ABA Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice in partnership with the University of Miami Law Hope Public Interest Resource Center, the meeting will examine national educational policies that result in students leaving school and becoming involved in the criminal justice system.

According to experts, the school-to-prison pipeline disproportionately affects students of color, students with disabilities and students who identify as LGBTQ+. Experts also say the pipeline generally arises from policies, practices and implicit biases that result in low expectations of minority communities, incorrect referrals or categorizations in special education, the inability to properly identify and accommodate mental health concerns, overly harsh discipline resulting in long-term or permanent separation from school, and interaction with law enforcement for low-level or nonviolent disciplinary infractions.

ABA co-sponsors for the meeting include the Council for Diversity in the Educational Pipeline; Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; Section on Civil Rights and Social Justice; Section on State and Local Government Law; Center on Children and the Law; Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities; and the Commission on Disability Rights.