It's past time to end the school-to-prison pipeline in Florida. Join us Wednesday, April 7, for our next "We Make the Way" segment to discuss how we can empower families and advocates to reform policies that impact children locally and across Florida.
In the last two years, Florida has made national headlines for arresting little kids at school. The state has seen an increase in arrests at schools since the 2018 Legislature passed a measure requiring every public school to have an officer or other security official onsite There are now more police officers working in schools (3,650) than school nurses (2,286).
In addition, Florida prosecutes more children in the adult criminal justice system for felonies than any other state. Since 2009, more than 14,000 children—some as young as 10—have been prosecuted as adults in our state. There is currently no minimum age for indictment as an adult in Florida.
We believe that children should be educated, not incarcerated. Join us to discuss how we can end policies in public schools and the juvenile justice system that contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline.
Panelists:
- Micah Kubic, executive director, ACLU of Florida
- Bacardi Jackson, managing attorney, children's rights, Southern Poverty Law Center & SPLC Action Fund
- Kim Lawrance, criminal justice reform advocate
- Alfredo R. Zamora, deputy chief assistant state attorney, Office of the State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit
