SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE

Our school environment must be safe and promote learning; yet, current school discipline practices do not achieve this goal. Instead, they target students of color, as well as students with disabilities, for non-violent, non-criminal behavior. Such school discipline practices push students out of school towards a path of dropping out and in turn increases their chances of involvement with the criminal justice system.

Click here to download a pamphlet which describes the school discipline process in Texas. You may also request a copy by emailing info@aclutx.org.

If you believe your rights have been violated, consider filing a complaint with the ACLU of Texas by clicking here.

For more information on the school-to-prison pipeline, please visit the National ACLU website.

Laws Impacting School Discipline:

Texas Education Code Chapter 37. Discipline; Law and Order. Chapter 37 is the Texas law governing student discipline.

Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act is a U.S. federal law that governs how states and public agencies provide special education and related services to children with disabilities.

Helpful Texas Education Agency Webpages:

Discipline. Contains information on Chapter 37, disciplinary alternative education programs, and disciplinary data.

Special Education. Provides information on special education in Texas and includes information on filing complaints, as well as requests for mediation and due process hearings.

Additional Resources:

Advocacy, Incorporated's mission is to protect and advance the legal, human, and service rights of people with disabilities. Their website contains an interactive program that takes a user step by step through the disciplinary process as it relates to students receiving special education or Section 504 services.

Texas Appleseed is a non-profit, public interest law organization that focuses on systemic reform. Their report, Texas' School-to-Prison Pipeline: Dropout to Incarceration: The Impact of School Discipline and Zero Tolerance, examines this issue in Texas.

ACLU of Texas Questions Segregated School Program
AUSTIN, TX – The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Texas today filed an open records request asking that the Beaumont Independent School District disclose information regarding the “Big 3 Conference” held at West Brook High School on March 29, 2008. The ACLU initiated its investigation after learning that only African-American, male students were required to attend the program, which included topics such as “Home Life,” “Thug Life,” ”Peer Pressure,” and “Lack of Discipline.” Read More...

Texas School Board Agrees To Stop Teaching Unconstitutional Bible Class In Public Schools
The Ector County School Board agreed today to stop teaching a course in its public schools that unconstitutionally promotes a particular interpretation of the Bible that is not shared by Jews, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and most Protestants. Read More...