To: The Michigan State House and The Michigan State Senate
They make handcuffs in kid's sizes now?
'Zero-tolerance’ laws criminalize young students for minor infractions that should be dealt with internally by schools. Reform ‘zero-tolerance’ laws now so that our kids are put on a path to success rather than a path to prison.
Why is this important?
“The scariest part was probably being handcuffed.”
By all accounts Kyle Thompson is a normal 14-year old kid who loves playing football and hanging out with his friends. His principal says he’d love to have an entire school filled with students like Kyle.
So why on earth was Kyle led from school in handcuffs, expelled from all state public schools and placed under house arrest for the year?
Kyle’s teacher wanted to see a note he had written, and when she playfully tried to take it from him, he tried to hold on to it. Even though all the witness statements said that the teacher was joking around and Kyle didn’t act aggressively, the incident ended with Kyle under arrest.
This ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to school discipline takes kids like Kyle out of the education system and funnels them into the criminal justice system because of a single, small infraction. There, they can look forward to a life of neglect and lost opportunity, as it can be impossible to find new schools or attend college once their records are tainted.
In Kyle’s case, his school says it was prevented from handling punishment differently, stating: “The issue raised in this petition presents an opportunity for citizens to examine ‘zero tolerance’ laws in Michigan…”
So this doesn’t have to be the end of Kyle’s story, or the stories of thousands of students just like him. With enough public pressure, we can push the Michigan legislature to prioritize educating, not imprisoning our young students.
By all accounts Kyle Thompson is a normal 14-year old kid who loves playing football and hanging out with his friends. His principal says he’d love to have an entire school filled with students like Kyle.
So why on earth was Kyle led from school in handcuffs, expelled from all state public schools and placed under house arrest for the year?
Kyle’s teacher wanted to see a note he had written, and when she playfully tried to take it from him, he tried to hold on to it. Even though all the witness statements said that the teacher was joking around and Kyle didn’t act aggressively, the incident ended with Kyle under arrest.
This ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to school discipline takes kids like Kyle out of the education system and funnels them into the criminal justice system because of a single, small infraction. There, they can look forward to a life of neglect and lost opportunity, as it can be impossible to find new schools or attend college once their records are tainted.
In Kyle’s case, his school says it was prevented from handling punishment differently, stating: “The issue raised in this petition presents an opportunity for citizens to examine ‘zero tolerance’ laws in Michigan…”
So this doesn’t have to be the end of Kyle’s story, or the stories of thousands of students just like him. With enough public pressure, we can push the Michigan legislature to prioritize educating, not imprisoning our young students.