Future Black History Maker: Mariah Reynolds, 6, attends Bill Hefner Elementary School in Fayetteville and wants to be an event planner when she grows up.
Educators and administrators in Cumberland County Schools are revisiting plans to address the racial inequities in student discipline practices now that students are transitioning back to classrooms.
Before the pandemic, the school system discussed strategies to reduce out-of-school suspensions that contributed to what has become known as school-to-prison pipeline, which mostly affected Black students and students of color.
Parents and community leaders say suspensions only hurt students academically and don t help resolve the issues students face in and out of school.
Despite the decline in suspensions during the pandemic and transitioning back to in-person learning this year, the racial disparity in suspensions remains an issue in Cumberland County and across the nation.