On Tuesday, November 5, 2013, a landmark collaborative agreement was made official when county agency and community leaders signed The Broward County Collaborative Agreement of School Discipline, a pact aimed at curbing the “schoolhouse to jailhouse pipeline.” This agreement softens the “zero policy” standard adopted in the 1990’s by creating new procedures for schools to follow when a student commits a non-violent misdemeanor at school. Alternative resolutions to incidents such as trespassing, harassment, alcohol-related incidents, and possession of misdemeanor amounts of marijuana will now be implemented by administrators — counseling and treatment in lieu of arrest.
This cooperative effort has been a long time in the making, and involves the participation of many agencies including the 17th Judicial Circuit Court, State Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, Broward Sheriff’s Office, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Broward County School Board, and more. It is anticipated that this collaborative agreement will reduce school-related arrests by 60 to 70 percent, seriously curtailing the “schoolhouse to jail house pipeline.”
A special thank you goes to Circuit Judge Elijah Williams, in the juvenile delinquency division, for bringing this idea to Broward County!
