The School-to-Prison Pipeline

After discussing the racial inequality in schools and how minorities were continually discriminated against despite changes in the law, I immediately made the connection to a modern day issue that many socioeconomically disadvantaged communities face: The School-to-Prison Pipeline.
You have definitely heard about it in the past, but what really is it? Is there really a tunnel under the school that leads right to jail? No. But unfortunately, it seems that way many Americans today.
The School to Prison Pipeline refers to the "disturbing national trend wherein children are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems" according to the American Civil Liberties Union. The youth that this "pipeline" targets are often those who grew up with a history of poverty, abuse, neglect, undiagnosed learning disabilities, and a lack of counseling and help services. Especially, zero-tolerance policies in schools lead infractions that should be handled inside the school to be handled by the cops, leading to a growing number of incarcerated youth. These schools are often under-resourced, and rely on cops instead of designated campus security staff (ex. Julie and Seth). So the main targets of the pipeline are poorer districts, where maybe the property tax isn't as steep as it is here. Basically, these schools have what we would consider the "bare bones." No "extras" like counselors, special ed programs, and even things that we deem essential, like textbooks. 
The youth that get the infractions are not well represented in court, and 80% don't even get lawyers. (where is the due process??) It is also statistically proven that students of color are more likely to be suspended, expelled, or arrested than their white counterparts for the same behaviors. In some districts, it is believed that students who are suspended or expelled don't have the right to education anymore. In other districts, they are sent to (sometimes private and for-profit) disciplinary alternative schools that lack certain standards, sending the kids back to their home school unprepared and way behind, continuing the cycle of hopelessness which leads to more serious infractions and more incarceration. Overall, we have a long way to go before we solve this, with the roots going back to the systematic oppression of POC in the US. But we can start by funding our schools and getting students the resources they need to stay out of trouble.