More than 200 concerned activists and citizens turned out at Pasadena’s Neighborhood Church on Tuesday night for a public forum hosted by the American Civil Liberties Union to discuss the idea that certain groups of students are funneled to prison without ever having a chance to succeed in the classroom.

“This is a big, huge idea, the cradle to prison pipeline,” said panel moderator Saudeka Shabazz of the Los Angeles Children Defense Fund. Shabazz told the audience that the problem is systemic and actually starts in the womb, not at school.

Among the key issues discussed at the meeting: an increase in dropout rates at schools within the Pasadena Unified School District and the increased presence of police officers on campuses throughout the city.

“We say cradle instead of school because we want to show how many factors will affect the lives (of the youth) before they are born,” she said. “It’s these sets of policies and guidelines that are failing our children.”

Read the Original Story – Pasadena Now » Blog Archive » ACLU Forum: Is There a“Schools to Prison Pipeline”?

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