County Seeks Details in Students’ Arrests
Officials in Meridian and Lauderdale County want details from the Justice Department to back up allegations local students’ rights have been violated by jailing them for school infractions. Earlier this month the Justice Department said officials in east Mississippi operate a “school-to-prison pipeline” that incarcerated students – mostly black and disabled – for school disciplinary infractions. The department alleged Meridian students were routinely arrested without assessment of probable cause when police are called to a school. The students are then allegedly denied due process in Youth Court and later while on probation. In a response mailed to the government this past week, attorney for the city and county said the claims of discrimination are based on opinions and assumptions not supported by the facts.
