An overwhelming number of all public school students placed in handcuffs by New York Police Department officers in 2016 were black or Hispanic ― a whopping 99 percent, to be exact.
NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman told the New York Daily News that police action in school has a big impact on kids’ academic and emotional well-being.
“When a child is handcuffed, the child is humiliated,” Lieberman said. “It’s incompatible with the safe and supportive learning environment a school is supposed to provide."
In the report, Lieberman emphasized that the use of harsh police tactics in school “is neither necessary nor effective to keep children and staff safe.”
Despite the progress that’s been made in reducing school-based arrests in the city, 99 percent is beyond a troubling number. The figure only emphasizes the fact that black and Latinx children, who are disciplined more often and more severely throughout their years in school than white students, face an all too real school-to-prison pipeline. And too often, it puts students’ livelihoods at risk (see: 2015 assault at Spring Valley High School).
The NYCLU recommended that New York City move to limit the role of police in school discipline and “operate in a manner consistent with the best interests of children.”
99% Of Students Handcuffed In School By NYPD In 2016 Were Black Or Latinx | HuffPost
NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman told the New York Daily News that police action in school has a big impact on kids’ academic and emotional well-being.
“When a child is handcuffed, the child is humiliated,” Lieberman said. “It’s incompatible with the safe and supportive learning environment a school is supposed to provide."
In the report, Lieberman emphasized that the use of harsh police tactics in school “is neither necessary nor effective to keep children and staff safe.”
Despite the progress that’s been made in reducing school-based arrests in the city, 99 percent is beyond a troubling number. The figure only emphasizes the fact that black and Latinx children, who are disciplined more often and more severely throughout their years in school than white students, face an all too real school-to-prison pipeline. And too often, it puts students’ livelihoods at risk (see: 2015 assault at Spring Valley High School).
The NYCLU recommended that New York City move to limit the role of police in school discipline and “operate in a manner consistent with the best interests of children.”
99% Of Students Handcuffed In School By NYPD In 2016 Were Black Or Latinx | HuffPost