The Beloved Early Education and Care Collective (BEE Collective) continues its advocacy campaign announcing the full release of a sobering report addressing South Carolina’s crisis of discriminatory suspension and expulsion of young Black preschool-aged children. The full report, "Facing A Broken System: A Crisis of Discriminatory Suspension and Expulsion that Harms Black Children in South Carolina and Charleston County," published by Dr. Melodie Baker and her team at ImpactSTATS, Inc., aims to shed light on the pervasive issue of school and classroom removals experienced by young Black children, with a particular focus on Charleston and its broader state context in South Carolina.
By examining the forces at play in this type of discipline, based on exclusion, and highlighting the issue of implicit bias, hoping to raise awareness of the driving factors that contribute to this crisis. The report highlights that suspended and expelled preschoolers are 10 times more likely to drop out of high school, experience academic failure, and face jail time, proving the school-to-prison pipeline effect, beginning in early education. The full report may be viewed online at beecollective.co (or below).
Additionally, Facing a Broken System offers recommendations urging policymakers, educators, and community stakeholders to address implicit and systemic bias and to implement evidence-based strategies that prioritize prevention over punishment.
The preliminary findings were released in March 2024 alongside a 2-page interim report entitled "KICKED OUT: A Crisis of Discriminatory Suspension and Expulsion that Harms Black Children in South Carolina and Charleston County." To launch the advocacy campaign, an in-person Preschooler Town Hall event was held on April 12, 2024, at Fresh Future Farm in Downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Dr. Baker was in attendance, offering an opportunity to engage with children and concerned parents, families, and BEE Collective, while enjoying an evening of food, arts and crafts, and community.
A second event, "KICKED OUT: A Virtual Town Hall," bookended Black Maternal Health Week, hosted on April 18, 2024 by BEE Collective. The event included BEE’s Co-founder and Community Leader, Dr. Kim Nesta Archung, along with BEE’s Community Champion, Stephanie McFadden, the virtual town hall event was moderated by community advocate Shantell Scott Twumasi and featured three experts on the panel to discuss and address the "KICKED OUT" report findings and how the research impacts the community-at-large. Expert panelists include: Dr. Melodie Baker - "KICKED OUT" Report Lead, ImpactSTATS, Inc.; Iheoma U. Iruka, Ph.D. - Founding Director, Equity Research Action Coalition and Research Professor, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (UNC-Chapel Hill); and parent, Mavis G. Huger, Senior Corporate Counsel at Ingevity Corporation. A recording of this event and accompanying resources are available at beecollective.co.