School discipline to girls differs between and within races

To hear Mikia Hutchings speak, one must lean in close as her voice barely rises above a whisper. In report cards, her teachers describe the 12-year-old as “very focused,” someone who follows the rules and stays on task. So it was a surprise for her grandmother when Mikia and a friend got into trouble for writing graffiti on the walls of a gym bathroom at Dutchtown Middle School in Henry County last year.

Even more of a surprise was the penalty after her family disputed the role she was accused of playing in the vandalism and said it could not pay about $100 in restitution. While both students were suspended from school for a few days, Mikia had to face a school disciplinary hearing and, a few weeks later, a visit by a uniformed officer from the local Sheriff’s Department, who served her grandmother with papers accusing Mikia of a trespassing misdemeanor and, potentially, a felony.

READ MORE: MSN