In testimony submitted to a Senate subcommittee on December 12, 2012, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) described how zero-tolerance policies that heavily use suspension and expulsion and police officers contributes to a “school to prison pipeline” that funnels students into the criminal justice system. The policies disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities in the Gulf South region. The SPLC also filed complaints in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. In Meridian, MS, students are routinely arrested and transported to the juvenile detention center for minor classroom infractions. Students serve suspensions in the Meridian detention center.
