Senator Serrano Meets with Students from Manhattan Country School

(Albany, NY)- Senator Serrano met with 7th and 8th grade students from the Manhattan Country School, who traveled to Albany to discuss current education policies. The students spoke with the Senator about the School to Prison Pipeline, a term used to refer to the current trend of the criminalization of students in schools, which often leads to them ending up in the juvenile justice system. The students discussed ways to put an end to this disturbing pattern that disproportionally affects minority students. They believe that increasing the number of guidance counselors and social workers in schools, while decreasing the amount police officers would help combat this issue. 

"I was delighted to get the opportunity to speak with these incredibly promising students in order to gain a firsthand perspective of what is going on in the halls and classrooms of our schools, as well as ways we can improve their experiences and the education system as a whole," said Senator Serrano.  "I was impressed by the dedication these young individuals exhibited by travelling up here and the compassion they showed by advocating for programs that would benefit their fellow students across the state and their communities," concluded Serrano.