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More than 160 people still missing after deadly Texas floods, governor says; Ohio small businesses seek clarity as Congress weighs federal ownership reporting rule; Hoosiers' medical bills under state review; Survey: Gen Z teens don't know their options after high school; Rural Iowa farmers diversify crops for future success.

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USDA, DHS Secretaries collaborate on a National Farm Security Action Plan. Health advocates worry about the budget megabill's impacts, and Prime Minister Netanyahu nominates President Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize.

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Farmers may abandon successful conservation programs if federal financial chaos continues, a rural electric cooperative in Southwest Colorado is going independent to shrink customer costs, and LGBTQ+ teens say an online shoulder helps more than community support.

"School-to-prison" Pipeline: Report Highlights NC's Punitive Discipline

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Thursday, October 31, 2013   

RALEIGH, N.C. – Discipline practices at some public school systems in North Carolina are preparing students for prison instead of a profession, according to a report released Wednesday by Action for Children North Carolina.

The problem stems from a trend for school systems to involve the juvenile justice system, even for the most mundane discipline problems, instead of dealing with the problem internally, according to Deborah Bryan, the organization’s president and CEO.

"School districts are strapped,” she says. “They're short-staffed already, so it is a challenge already for them to deal with some of these discipline behaviors."

Bryan says once students are in the juvenile justice system, they are four times more likely to drop out of high school, compared with their peers and eight times more likely to end up in jail or prison.

Bryan points out there also appears to be racial disparity when it comes to student punishment.

During the 2011-12 school year, North Carolina public schools issued 258,000 suspensions and three-fifths of them went to black students, who make up just a quarter of the state's population.

Bryan says the data indicates a systemic problem.

"Equity in how children are treated in school is one of the issues,” she says, “and also what resources are available to help them, particularly in the early stages of life, get off to the right start. "

The report recommends the state raise the age of juvenile court jurisdiction from 16 to 18 for youth charged with misdemeanors and establish a task force to examine school discipline practices.



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