Star Tribune: “A coalition of religious leaders, parents and teachers on Thursday called for Minnesota schools to pass a moratorium on suspensions, citing the fact that students of color are disciplined much more frequently than white students.
Members of ISAIAH said they want to end the “school to prison pipeline” that occurs when students of color are systematically suspended or expelled.
Nekima Levy Pounds, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, cited statistics that showed 46,609 students were suspended, expelled or excluded during the 2011-2012 school year in Minnesota. Students of color accounted for 60 percent of all disciplinary action that school year.
“These statistics should break our hearts, and compel us all – especially in the faith community – to act in a transformative way,” she said at press conference at the state Capitol.
In addition to calling on a moratorium on suspensions, ISAIAH members are also asking schools to remove police from school discipline procedures.
ISAIAH’s call for action follows recent federal push for schools to ease up on suspensions.”
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