If a question were posed to middle and high school students: What does their school experience mean to them? You might assume they would say that their time spent at school symbolizes an opportunity for them to learn the unknown and connect with potential colleagues and life-long friends. However, many young Black students face a different experience. In today’s society, Black girls are troubled with battling an internal fear of being targeted by facility members through sexualization and criminalization, as a direct result of the adultification of Black children within educational systems. One example of the ongoing issues in school systems was highlighted recently when a substitute teacher went viral for posting completely inappropriate comments about her day as a teacher. However, this underscores the need for a broader conversation about the accountability that school systems must uphold to prevent young Black girls from being targeted.
For decades, these school systems have claimed to prioritize protecting the next generation of thinkers by implementing safety protocols for interactions with both temporary and permanent staff members within the school. Yet, the reality of the dysfunctional and insufficient measures taken to protect these students tells a very different story, especially for young Black girls. With the rise of social media, teachers have even revealed their own misconduct in the classroom by posting unconsented videos of students, shining a harsh light on the shortcomings of many educational systems. This raises a critical question: why has attending school become a danger for young girls?
Sadly, many parents constantly struggle with overwhelming anxiety about their children facing random acts of violence, and now they also face a new primal fear: predatory staff members. As parents begin to vent their outrage and media coverage spreads about several sexual misconduct incidents involving the facility and students, many have yet to consider the emotional trauma these young Black girls face when confronted with these encounters. These incidents should be seen as a hazardous environment for the young girls because the criminalization and sexualization of Black girls in schools can potentially disrupt one of the most critical stages of their lives: education. With the release of several viral videos showing teachers misbehaving and media reports involving staff members at K-12 educational systems’ sexual assault and misconduct incidents with students, a more urgent question arises: When did going to school become dangerous for young girls?
Each year, it becomes increasingly apparent that many school systems remain negligent in screening future staff to assess their professionalism and emotional competence in managing classrooms, a phenomenon that is not new. It has been an issue that has continually evolved into a more problematic concern for generations. Leading these schools to transform into dangerous environments filled with predators who manipulate the trust placed in them to care for students by engaging in behaviors that can be outright acts of sexual misconduct. This vicious cycle of disadvantage has affected people of color for many decades and shows no signs of improvement; instead, it reveals hidden systemic issues that further disenfranchise young girls of color significantly.
Another factor that contributes to the dangers that exist within the school system is the improper policing procedures to which Black girls fall prey. Although there have been several nationwide conversations that have highlighted the school-to-prison pipeline for young Black and Latino young men, the absence of discussion on how girls of color are being impacted as well is deafening. In the documentary Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by EdD Monique W. Morris, the narrator emphasizes that studies report that black girls are the only group of girls to be overrepresented across the entire continuum of school discipline, including corporal punishment, referrals to law enforcement, expulsions, suspensions, arrests, and restraints. This has left many young girls faced with traumatic school disciplinary experiences and created an instilled mistrust of law enforcement at a young age.
Many of these young girls must find a way to fight against adversities that range from racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and xenophobia. This raises a lingering question: How are these young girls coping with these adversities? Many young girls are left to process their feelings from these incidents of improper policing and oversexualization with little to no guidance from any authoritative figures within the school system. This can create a dangerous psychological effect that might cause students to repress their feelings or become completely confused about the abuse of power dynamics.
We can no longer say that going to school is not dangerous for several reasons. Aside from the risk of predatory staff members, some reports indicate that black girls are three times more likely to be referred to juvenile courts in school disciplinary actions. School is no longer becoming a place of refuge for young minds. This harsh reality shows a direct reflection of how the school system harbors unspoken dangers, especially for Black girls, who face higher disciplinary referrals and risks of harm from criminalization and sexualization.
These dangers that exist within these school systems have the potential to lead someone to feel isolated and vulnerable, pushing students toward risky environments and causing a vicious cycle of trauma and violence. To address these issues, we must implement solutions such as banning teachers from filming students without their permission and holding authority figures accountable. This includes sharing information about inappropriate behavior with trusted facility members or parental figures, reporting misconduct, and ensuring thorough background checks and staff training, with the ultimate goal of protecting students and preventing further harm.