Event

A session of the Edward V. Sparer Symposium organized by Toll Public Interest Law Scholars at Penn Law

See http://www.law.upenn.edu/pic/students/programs.html#sparersymposium for complete program

Our education system should be a doorway to opportunity, not a pipeline into the criminal justice system. However, zero-tolerance policies and increased law enforcement efforts in schools have led to an alarming increase in suspensions and expulsions. This panel will examine the “school-to-prison pipeline” from the perspective of legal practitioners, policymakers, and school administrators and discuss collaborative programs that keep youth in the classroom and foster a safe learning environment for all students.

Panelists: David Sciarra, Executive Director, NJ Education Law Center  Leticia Smith-Evans, Assistant Counsel of the Education Practice, NAACP Legal Defense Fund  Gregory Volz, Stoneleigh Foundation Fellow and Director of Youth Courts program in the Chester-Upland School District, David Lapp, Staff Attorney, PA Education Law Center, and Dr. Rachel Pereira, Director of Truancy Prevention, Office of the Philadelphia District Attorney.

Part of our 2012 Public Conversation Series: Criminalizing the City