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The School to Prison Pipeline Toolkit accompanies the Youth Camera Action films and includes information on the School to Prison Pipeline, a detailed resources section and ways to take action.

The toolkit also includes sample activities to use with the films and discussion questions.

Click here to download the complete School to Prison Pipeline Toolkit (PDF). To order a free copy of the School to Prison Pipeline Toolkit and the Youth Camera Action DVD, call 212-607-3388 or send an email to youthcameraaction@nyclu.org.

Sample Activities

Sun and Moon – 5 to 20 minutes
Participants are divided into equal groups. One group is the Suns, the other is the Moons. The Suns make a circle and face outwards. The Moons make a circle around the Suns facing inward. Each participant should be facing a partner. The facilitator asks a question (see Suggested Discussion Questions on page 12) and gives the Suns one minute to share their answer with their partner. The facilitator then gives the Moons one minute to answer. The facilitator tells the Moons to move two people to the right, rotating the outer circle and changing partners, and repeats the process with another question. The facilitator continues to ask questions and rotate the circle so that the participants continue changing partners.

Social Barometer – 20 minutes
The facilitator hangs signs on opposite sides of the room that read “Strongly Agree” and “Strongly Disagree.” When the facilitator reads a statement, participants move to the side of the room with the appropriate sign. If they are neutral, participants will stand in the middle of the room. If they agree but not strongly, they will standbetween the middle of the room and the “Strongly Agree” sign. If they disagree but not strongly, they will stand between the middle of the room and the “Strongly Disagree” sign.
After the facilitator reads each statement and the participants have stopped moving, the facilitator will call on one person from the “Agree” side of the room, one from the “Disagree” side, and one from the middle of the room to share their opinions. During the discussion, participants may move from their original position if their opinion changes.

Suggested statements include:

• Education is the key to success in life.
• I enjoy/enjoyed school.
• I feel/felt that I am/was treated unfairly in school.
• Today’s students are disrespectful and out of control and need to be dealt with harshly.
• I or a family member have had a negative encounter with a school safety agent.
• New York should spend more money on schools than on prisons.
• Metal detectors keep students safe.
• The school system is racist/classist/sexist/heterosexist/xenophobic.
• The criminal justice system is racist/classist/sexist/heterosexist/xenophobic.
• Police personnel should be on school grounds only in emergencies.
• No New York City schools should have metal detectors.
• Low income students and students of color need harsher discipline in order to succeed.
• Students should be suspended from school and arrested for violent behavior.
• Once a student is suspended, she will never succeed in school.
• School age students who are pushed out of school are more likely to get involved in crime.

Small Group Discussions – 30 minutes
The facilitator breaks the participants into groups of five then posts and reads over five discussion questions (see Suggested Discussion Questions on page 12). The groups have 15 minutes to discuss all the questions while one member of each group takes notes. After 15 minutes, the group comes back together and one member of each group shares the main points of their discussion.

Plug the Pipeline Posters – 40 minutes
The facilitator divides the participants into groups of five then posts and reads over five discussion questions (see Suggested Discussion Questions on page 12). The final question should ask participants to brainstorm solutions to ending the School to Prison Pipeline. The groups have 15 minutes to discuss all the questions while one member of each group takes notes.
After 15 minutes, the facilitator distributes markers and newsprint to each group and instructs them to make a poster telling people how they can help stop the School to Prison Pipeline. Groups will have 10 minutes to work on their posters.
After 10 minutes, the groups hang their posters around the room. Participants quietly move around the room and view each poster. After 5 minutes, the facilitator calls on several people to share what they learned from the activity.

Discussion Questions

Reactions to Films

1. Could you relate to a character, situation or statement in the film?
2. How did the film make you feel?
3. Did the film make you reflect on your own educational experience? How?
4. How do the stories and situations in the film impact your community? Your city? Your country? The world?

School to Prison Pipeline

1. How does the School to Prison Pipeline impact your community?
2. Where have you seen the School to Prison Pipeline in action?
3. Should New York City invest more money in schools or prisons? Why?
4. How do suspensions contribute to the School to Prison Pipeline?
5. How does police presence in schools contribute to the School to Prison Pipeline?
6. How does race play a role in the pipeline? How does class play a role? Gender? Sexual orientation? Immigration status?
7. How does the School to Prison Pipeline contribute to oppression in the U.S.?

School Safety in New York City

1. What should be the role of school safety agents?
2. How do permanent metal detectors harm the school environment? How do they help?
3. How does police presence in schools affect student learning?
4. Do you think zero tolerance policies are effective? Why?

Solutions

1. Describe the best way for schools to keep students safe.
2. What can students do to end the School to Prison Pipeline and reduce over-policing in their schools? What can educators do? Parents? Community members? Schools? Lawmakers? Government officials?
   reduce over-policing in their schools? What can educators do? Parents? Community members? Schools? Lawmakers? Government officials?

Please click on the following links for more information:

• The Pipeline
• The Films
• The Youth
• The Toolkit
• The Report
• The Screenings
• Take Action
• Links and Resources
• Contact Us