by Chlo’e Edwards, Policy Director, New Virginia Majority
From its inception, Virginia's public school system was segregated. Black students faced a myriad of challenges, such as crumbling buildings, textbooks, and facilities. Mamie and Kenneth Clark’s research experiment, “The Doll Test,” proved that segregation harmed the self images of Black children and was a key factor in landmark 1954 Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision to end segregation in public schools.
The decision led to the creation of massive resistance strategies, such as redlining, blockbusting, and white flight. Despite increased federal oversight, school administrators turned to racist, exclusionary policies that targeted students of color. Virginia was complicit, cutting state funds, which inadvertently closed any school attempting to integrate, such as Warren County, Charlottesville, and Norfolk.
Due to token integration, school enrollment in localities, such as Richmond, was entirely non-white, despite the population being half white and half Black. A study from the Virginia Commonwealth University painted the deepening racial and economic segregation. According to The Commonwealth Institute, “Black and Latino students are increasingly likely to attend schools where the student body is entirely non-white, and where there are fewer resources, less course offerings, and higher poverty rates.” Black students still face separate and unequal treatment, which has led to vastly different classroom experiences and outcomes.
Underfunded schools often rely on police instead of teachers and administrators to maintain discipline, which can contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline. The rise of broken windows policing tactics in schools known as zero-tolerance policies disproportionately targeted students of color and students with disabilities for behaviors, such as drugs, possessing weapons or other prohibited items, and disruptive behavior.
Virginia schools refer students to law enforcement agencies at nearly three times the national rate. The use of exclusionary discipline disproportionately impacts students of color, including students who identify as LGBTQ, have disabilities, and/or are English Language Learners, leading to the increased risk of criminal legal system involvement, psychological and emotional challenges, academic failure, school dropout, substance abuse, and gang involvement.
The punishment does not match the crime. Only 5 percent of out-of- school suspensions are given for serious or dangerous disciplinary incidents, such as possession of a weapon or drugs. The bulk of suspensions (95%) are given for disruptive behavior or willful defiance or simply classified as other.
Black students are punished more often– and more harshly than white peers. Students of color witness two Americas, the stark contrast between privilege and the realities of systemic inequalities and disadvantage.
- 1 in 6 Black students attended a school where at least 90% of their classmates were students of color in 2018-2019.
- On average, Black students attend a school where half of the students are economically disadvantaged and the average Latino student attends a school where almost half (46%) are economically disadvantaged.
- Black students are more than two times more likely to be referred to law enforcement than white students.
- Girls of color are 5.4 times more likely to be suspended than white girls from schools.
History repeats itself and when little is done to reshape the narrative of injustice, complicity persists. To dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, we have to re-imagine the traditional punitive policies that fuel it. To create a positive future for Virginia’s children, we encourage lawmakers to invest in the following solutions:
- Increase the systemic use of evidence-based restorative practices through the Restorative Schools in Virginia pilot program.
- Increase access to school-based mental health services, including tele-health, federally qualified health centers, and community-based mental health integration.
- Fully fund Virginia’s public schools and increase support to students facing the greatest barriers, including English language learners, students with disabilities, and students from underresourced communities.
New Virginia Majority is dedicated to shifting power to working class communities of color, in particular women of color, to promote widespread opportunity and prosperity for all. Learn more about the Working Class People’s Agenda.