STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Denver Schools Partner With Police to End School-to-Prison Pipeline

The Denver schools have reached an agreement with police to limit the interaction of law enforcement officials with students.

The Denver Public School system along with the police departments of the city and surrounding areas have signed an agreement that is designed to place limits on the interaction between students and law enforcement officials.
Under the five-year agreement, school system officials say they are seeking to resist the growing national trend known as the school-to-prison pipeline.
The pipeline is a growing pattern in America in which students are pushed out of schools and into the criminal justice system. It is widely criticized as the result of school systems that neglect to address the needs of students who often need additional educational or social assistance.
As a result, students, even in the early years of elementary school, are often incarcerated for minor offenses.
 
Civil rights and advocacy groups have complained that the problem is it disproportionately affects African-American students. And they insist that the interaction with police leads to a cycle of incarceration. The practice has been harshly criticized by the NAACP and other groups.
The new agreement includes a collaboration between law enforcement, school officials, the Denver Police Department and a Denver-based organization called Padres y Jovenes Unidos, an organization led by people of color who work for educational excellence, racial justice for youth, immigrant rights and quality health care.
“This is a historic collaboration between a school district, a police department and an organization that represents parents and young people of color who are most impacted by these policies,” said Judith Browne Dianis, co-director of the Advancement Project, a national civil rights group that partnered with Padres y Jovenes Unidos to secure the agreement.
BET National News - Keep up to date with breaking news stories from around the nation, including headlines from the hip hop and entertainment world. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter. 

Get ready for the BET Experience, featuring Beyoncé, Snoop DoggR. Kelly, Erykah BaduKendrick Lamar and many more. Go here for more details and info on how to buy tickets.

(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.