A community forum Saturday aims to shed some light on the "school-to-prison pipeline" problem in Rochester.
The ACLU calls it a disturbing national trend that pushes some children out of school and into the criminal justice system.
Organizers says they'll hear from three families in Rochester who have been victimized by the school to prison pipeline, and enlist help from the community to bring the problem to an end.
The Facing Race, Embracing Equity-Race and Education, Action and Change Work Group is organizing the forum.
Co-facilitator Fred Tanksley says there are many ways children get sucked into the pipeline, starting with zero tolerance policies at schools.
Tanksley says while kids are out of school, they're missing instructional time, and and that sets them back, making them prone to falling into the penal system.
Co-facilitator the Reverend Judith Davis adds the forum will demystify how that happens, and they hope to develop advocates for parents and children to help them negotiate the system.
The forum starts at 1 Saturday at the Frederick Douglass Resource Center on King Street.