Ending ‘school to prison pipeline’ was goal of Michigan anti-truancy summit
Kids who skip or are ousted from school for bad behavior are at risk of dropping out and entering the “school to prison pipeline.” Efforts to find solutions to school truancy and keep kids from lives of crime got a boost at last month’s “Michigan Leadership Summit on School-Justice Partnerships: Keeping Kids in School and Out of the Justice System.”
The September 19-20 summit focused on ways to keep young people in school.
Governor Rick Snyder, in a message to the participants, said “When we increase school attendance, when we lower truancy and absenteeism, and when we see fewer kids on the street, it improves the quality of life for all of us. We will see fewer adults behind bars, fewer people in need of public assistance, and a safer, better educated, and more prosperous Michigan as a result.”
“Anyone who works in the juvenile justice system knows that kids who are suspended or expelled are much more likely to drop out altogether,” said Midland Probate Judge Dorene S. Allen, Who also served as Chair of the Summit. “And when kids drop out of school, the likelihood that they’ll become involved in some kind of criminal activity increases dramatically. In fact, this phenomenon is so common, it’s come to be known as the ‘school to prison pipeline.’
“The statistics are chilling: of Michigan prisoners, 49 percent do not have a high school degree or GED.”
The two-day summit, convened in Ann Arbor, involved a wide array of experts on juvenile justice and truancy: juvenile judges, intermediate school district superintendents, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and community mental health workers. Seventy-three county teams heard from national and state speakers, including Michigan Supreme Court Justice Mary Beth Kelly, Department of Human Services Director
Maura Corrigan, and Department of Education Superintendent Mike Flanagan. Also attending was Michigan Supreme Court Justice Bridget M. McCormack.
Allen said that school “Zero Tolerance” policies, which mandate suspending or expelling students, often have unintended consequences. “When children are expelled or suspended, they disproportionately end up in the criminal justice system,” the judge said.
The 73 county teams worked on their own solutions. Some county teams had as many as 10 members in attendance.
Michigan is the first state to hold a statewide summit on truancy issues. For more information, contact SBurdick@co.
midland.mi.us.
