Lawmaker Pushes Reforms Aimed at Disabling Michigan's School to Prison Pipeline
By Christopher Zoukis
A Michigan lawmaker is set on hobbling the school-to-prison pipeline in his state.
The forum was titled “How to Create a School-to-Success Continuum: Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline.” Zemke has long been a strong supporter of education as a way to keep youth out of the prison system. He sponsored legislation signed into law last year that gives local schools more autonomy over harsh punitive decisions for students when it comes to things like suspension and expulsion. He asserts that schools should move away from the strict, zero-tolerance policies that he feels feed the school-to-prison pipeline.