A school-to-prison pipeline that has "disparately" affected black students is being operated by the Little Rock School District and the juvenile justice system, according to a lawsuit filed Friday morning in Pulaski County Circuit Court.
Chris Burks, the attorney for the plaintiffs, said statistics show that black students are 500% more likely to be reprimanded, whether by out-of-school suspensions or arrest, compared to white students.
"This school-to-prison pipeline deprives African-American children of their right to a general system of public schools and their right to a free and fair resolution of offenses under the Arkansas Constitution," Burks stated in his lawsuit.
The lawsuit seeks to "remedy" the double-standard by increasing funding for diversion and peer-mediation programs, Burks said.
Check back for updates and read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.