1,629 Students Arrested for Swearing

A Louisiana school district had 1,629 students arrested in the 2011-2012 school year for minor offenses such as throwing candy, swearing, and having a cellphone. The issue also has unsurprising racial dynamics: The Jefferson Parish School District has about 40,000 students, of whom 40 percent are black. However, 80 percent of the students who were arrested are black. In at least one instance, the arrest-worthy offense was throwing Skittles candies on a school bus—for which an eighth grader was handcuffed while taking a social studies test. The Southern Poverty Law Center says an investigation it requested into the incidents is going nowhere. “We are aware of and are very concerned by these allegations,” the school district said Friday. “We pledge to work closely with those agencies involved to quickly resolve any issues that we identify. We are committed to ensuring that our students have a safe, healthy environment and are treated equably at all schools.”