Virginia governor asks how to reverse schools' staggering rate of referrals to cops and courts
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has asked members of his cabinet to recommend policy changes in response to a Center for Public Integrity report showing that schools in the commonwealth refer students to police and courts more often than other states.
“They’re going to look into it, and make recommendations and he will act on it,” Brian Coy, McAuliffe’s spokesman told the Center. “Virginia parents send their children to school to learn, not to end up in the juvenile-justice system.”
Coy said that the officials tasked with researching the “root cause” of referrals include Secretary of Education Anne Holton, Secretary of Health and Human Resources Bill Hazel and Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran. The cabinet members are part of a “children’s cabinet” that McAuliffe formed last year to “take a 360-degree look at how to make Virginia the best place to raise children,” Coy said.
Related: Virginia tops nation in sending students to cops, courts: Where does your state rank?
The governor hasn’t set a deadline for recommendations, Coy also said, but any legislative proposals that emerge would have to be completed by January in order to be considered in the 2016 legislative session.
The Center’s report in April focused in part on Kayleb Moon-Robinson, an autistic 11-year-old from Lynchburg who was charged — among other things — with felony assault on a police officer after a struggle that arose when Kayleb broke a rule. The boy was found guilty of the felony and other charges in his local juvenile court.
On April 28, after the Center report was released, Lynchburg police wrote to Kayleb’s mother, Stacey Doss, informing her that “as a result of concerns cited by you in the media” the department was opening an investigation into her son’s arrest. Doss is considering appealing Kayleb’s conviction. School officials have declined to comment on Kayleb’s case, but issued a statement saying that they feel police have been “unfairly portrayed” and “play an important role” at schools.
Since the story came out — along with a partner piece on the national radio show “Reveal” — other Virginia parents have contacted the Center to complain that their children were also arrested at school or summoned to court based on allegations the parents felt were not real crimes. Coy said cabinet members looking into referrals are “always” open to hearing from the public.
There’s more to this story. Click here to read the rest at the Center for Public Integrity.
This story is part of Criminalizing kids. Click here to read more stories in this blog.
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Copyright 2014 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.
