A Closer Look At The Overcriminalization Of School-Aged Black Girls and four ways you can intervene and advocate on their behalf

Headlines appear weekly: "10-Year-Old Girl Arrested Over Drawing"; "13-Year-Old Black Girl Jailed Over Classmate's False Accusation"; "6-Year-Old Detained By Police After Throwing Temper Tantrum"; "Police Strip Search 15-Year-Old Girl At School."

The attack on school-age Black girls has become more overt. Lead and caused by misunderstanding, lack of information or relatability, empathy, and environmental conditioning by white and non-persons of color have led to excessive punitive discipline, dramatically affecting the most vital part of their lives: their education.

In 2016, author Monique W. Morris examined this phenomenon and the abundance of statistics around it in her book Pushout: The Criminalization Of Black Girls In Schools. The book presents the concept of the school-to-prison pipeline and how it affects girls - Black girls specifically - more tangibly and concretely. Many do not realize that, overwhelmingly, the pipeline begins with many factors that compel Black girls to leave school. As a result, the dropout rate for Black girls has risen across the United States. But, we must ask ourselves, what is contributing to this? As young girls don't just decide to stop going to school.

Here are what some of the stats have to say (Keeping it simple):

The Physical: The bodies of Black girls develop and mature differently than those of other races, leading them to be sexually harassed or seen as more mature than their peers more often. However, in some cases, no further actions are taken to protect the victims when these incidents get reported, leaving the girls feeling vulnerable, undervalued, and alone.

The Mental: Statistically, Black girls score lower on standardized tests than any other demographic of girls and are less likely to take higher-level math and science classes. Now, you may be thinking, "well, who is good at math?". The issue isn't being good or bad at something taught. The problem lies in the lack of attention and resources available to help gain understanding and the ability to advance. This missing component leads to feelings of embarrassment, shame, and lack of motivation to do better.

The Emotional: Adolescence is a confusing time in life. However, overzealous authority figures deliberately overlook many genetic and environmental components when dealing with a Black girl having a bad day—leading to public embarrassment, isolation, and interactions with law enforcement.

Let's sit with that last one for a second. Imagine talking back or pulling away from a teacher, attempting to place their hands on another person leading to a child, a Black-female child, being aggressively handled by police and then tagged with an assault charge. Before the age of 18, this child has a criminal record.

The criminalization that comes before these girls decide to leave school leads us to the types of headlines we see frequently. The burdens of racism and sexism in school have created an environment where African-American girls are more likely to be suspended, expelled, or held back than any other group of girls. For example, studies show that Black girls are six times more likely to be suspended than their white counterparts. For many girls, the stigma of these frequent punishments creates such anxiety and discomfort around school that they stop going.

In this conversation, when scholars, politicians, officials, and those who seek to change policies use the term "criminalization," it's used literally to mean that Black girls are more likely to be treated like criminals for what amounts to behavioral infractions at school. According to The Criminalization of Black Girls, "One of the results of this criminalization is that Black girls are three times more likely to be restrained for an in-school incident than white female students." And while it's illegal in most states, Morris' book also reveals that "Black girls are two times more likely to receive corporal punishment than white female students." The troubling side of these statistics is that these incidents often go unrecorded and are rarely reported to the students' parents.

Picture that?! Something harmful, traumatic, and potentially life-changing happens to a child at the hands of an authority figure. Then it's these same people who decide not to notify a parent or guardian.

Have you heard the terms "Willful Defiance" or "Oppositional Defiance Disorder"? These terms are often in use to justify punishment for essentially challenging authority or causing any disruption of what society perceives as acceptable behavior. Examples play out nightly on news reports covering protests that call attention to social and racial justice issues. But, more disturbing is having these two terms applied to students. And guess who is most likely to have those terms used against them? You guessed it; Black girls are more likely to be arrested for disciplinary infractions deemed willingly defiant or displaying an "Oppositional Defiance Disorder." Disproportionately leading them to have criminal records before their brains can comprehend the thoughts and emotions they are experiencing.

"What connects the policies impacting school-aged girls to the prison pipeline is that the criminalization that starts in schools continues well beyond it.", Morris writes. "It follows Black girls and women into various aspects of society, including major institutions such as organizations, hospitals, and other social services institutions. However, it remains most prevalent in schools."

Not feeling safe, understood, and protected can lead to a lack of interest in attending school, truancy, and high dropout rates. Truancy is an infraction that can have a significant negative life-long impact for both the student and guardian - often the child's mother - can be incarcerated, with a record that follows them for their life.

(Sidebar: You know who knows a lot about locking up guardians for their children ditching school? Vice President Kamala Harris. As the former District Attorney in San Francisco, she is responsible for the incarceration of many parents that went their entire lives without a record. But they were held accountable for their children skipping school without their knowledge) - But we'll save this for another conversation.

A lack of career and financial opportunities for high school dropouts leads many of these girls to make decisions that will lead them directly into the criminal justice system.

So how do we avoid this? How does society protect our black girls?

Here are a few tips:

If you are the guardian of a school-aged girl, it's most important to speak with her to get their version of events. Many times girls feel no one will believe them and have their back. Ensure them that you do and will enforce accountability.

If an incident occurs, you have the right to:

●      Request a meeting with all parties involved, even if you don't know what to say or are intimidated. You must show up. If available, have an outside advocate accompany you.

●      Request all documentation on the matter.

●      Ask for the names of all witnesses. If law enforcement was involved, request the names and badge numbers of the officers.

●      Request any audio or video recordings; if denied access, seek legal counsel. This request also includes bodycam footage from responding officers.

But don't limit the advocacy to your kids:

●      Get involved with your local school board.

●      Bring up the uncomfortable conversations.

●      Demand changes in policy.

●      Hold elected officials accountable for the laws they create.

●      Create community networks that show up and support families of school-age children.