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Hillary Clinton Pitches Fix to ‘School-to-Prison’ Pipeline

By Alyson Klein — February 16, 2016 1 min read
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Former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wants to funnel $2 billion into helping schools overhaul their disciplinary practices, according to published reports.

Clinton wants to encourage schools to create “School Climate Support Teams” in districts where a lot of kids are suspended or arrested in school. That money could be used to help social workers, behavior specialists, and educators overhaul district discipline plans. Clinton is also urging schools to end so-called “zero tolerance policies,” which result in automatic suspensions for certain behaviors.

The proposal comes just ahead of the South Carolina primary, where Clinton is hoping to finish far ahead of her rival for the Democratic nomination, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The proposal, unveiled in a speech in Harlem Tuesday, may be tailored to resonate in the Palmetto State. Last year, a cell phone video of a violent arrest of an African-American girl at a South Carolina high school helped fuel a national debate over appropriate discipline practices. More in this story from my colleague, Evie Blad.

Clinton still hasn’t yet released a comprehensive plan to overhaul K-12 education. (Former Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush and Dr. Ben Carson are the only folks in the race that have such plans so far.)

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