Cultivating Caring Communities in Schools: Tools for Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline

School-based arrests have long made up a substantial number of cases in the juvenile legal system. This is particularly true for Black, Native/Indigenous, and Latino students; immigrant students, students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ students, and other historically marginalized students. Despite significant decreases in the rate of serious crimes and violence on school campuses over the past 20 years, 67 percent of high school students, 45 percent of middle school students, and 19 percent of elementary schools attend a school with a police officer.

This training provides an overview of the racialized origins of policing in schools; a general overview of the law governing searches, seizures, and interrogations in school; practice tips for challenging evidence obtained in violation of students’ rights; and information about NJJN’s policy platform on transformational schools.

Moderator: Tiera Brown, 2022-2024 Gault Fellow at The Gault Center

Presenters:
Melissa Goemann – Senior Policy Counsel, National Juvenile Justice Network

Jorren Biggs – Youth Policy Consultant, National Juvenile Justice Network

Katrina L. Goodjoint – Youth Policy Counsel, The Gault Center