--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: School is now a place where punishment…" description: "\"School is now a place where punishment and discipline are prioritized over serving students and educating them. Any moment where a student falls outsid..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/kimberle-williams-crenshaw-112_crime_school-is-now-a-place-where-punishment-a_2295852.jpg" --- # School is now a place where punishment and discipline are… ![“School is now a place where punishment and discipline are prioritized over serving students and educating them. Any moment where a student falls outside scripted behavior becomes an opportunity for law enforcement to come in, criminalizing ordinary things people do every day.” quote by Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/kimberle-williams-crenshaw-112_crime_school-is-now-a-place-where-punishment-a_2295852.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/kimberle-williams-crenshaw-112_crime_school-is-now-a-place-where-punishment-a_2295852.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01b/kimberle-williams-crenshaw-112_crime_school-is-now-a-place-where-punishment-a_2295852.jpg) > “School is now a place where punishment and discipline are prioritized over serving students and educating them. Any moment where a student falls outside scripted behavior becomes an opportunity for law enforcement to come in, criminalizing ordinary things people do every day.” [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education is increasingly punitive, treating normal student behavior as criminal. **In simple terms:** Schools prioritize discipline over learning. Key Takeaway Advocate for student‑centered, restorative approaches. Themes education discipline law enforcement Mood critical concerned Type cautionary reflective When to use this quote - classroom management - school policy - parent‑teacher meetings - community advocacy Key Concepts punitive policies student rights restorative justice Questions to Reflect On - How can schools balance safety with learning? - What alternatives to law enforcement exist? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on discipline may neglect academic goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law enforcement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-enforcement/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Prisons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisons/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) ## Related quotes > [The thing about discipline is that people misunderstand the word discipline. People think discipline in the dog world is punishment. Discipline is how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-millan/the-thing-about-discipline-is-that-people-misunderstand-the-word/) [Cesar Millan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-millan/) > [We need to understand the difference between discipline and punishment. Punishment is what you do to someone; discipline is what you do for someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/we-need-to-understand-the-difference-between-discipline-and/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [“Some parents cannot distinguish between punishment and discipline. Anyone can punish a child and many parents do it out of frustration. Discipline requires time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-w-hickey/some-parents-cannot-distinguish-between-punishment-and-discipline/) Eric W. Hickey > [Discipline is not punishment. Discipline is changing someone’s behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/discipline-is-not-punishment-discipline-is-changing-someone-s-behavior/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [Discipline of others isn't punishment. You discipline to help, to improve, to correct, to prevent, not to punish, humiliate, or retaliate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/discipline-of-others-isn-t-punishment-you-discipline-to-help-to/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [The difference between punishment and discipline is a powerful child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-silk/the-difference-between-punishment-and-discipline-is-a-powerful-child/) [Danny Silk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-silk/) > [We can see in retrospect that criminalizing the consumption of alcohol proves not to be the solution to the very real problem of drunkenness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-loury/we-can-see-in-retrospect-that-criminalizing-the-consumption-of/) [Glenn Loury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-loury/) > [Here, we have a country that is making its veterans, people who are struggling with post-traumatic stress, people who are struggling with depression, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/here-we-have-a-country-that-is-making-its-veterans-people-who-are/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [A symptomatic example of the way in which violence has saturated everyday life can be seen in the increased acceptance of criminalizing the behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/a-symptomatic-example-of-the-way-in-which-violence-has-saturated/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [You do not have to go to either criminalizing and throwing people in prison. 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I don't think you should do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sabet/the-issue-is-you-do-not-have-to-go-to-either-criminalizing-and/) [Kevin Sabet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-sabet/) > [Our current prison state has the dual effect of getting rid of a superfluous population of basically unskilled workers (with a close race-class correlation),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/our-current-prison-state-has-the-dual-effect-of-getting-rid-of-a/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This country would be a better place to live in if all the resources we currently put toward criminalizing marijuana were instead spent by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/this-country-would-be-a-better-place-to-live-in-if-all-the-resources/) [Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/) > [“If a young person is surviving by trading sex for the thing they need, what useful purpose is served by criminalizing that activity? Doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-califia/if-a-young-person-is-surviving-by-trading-sex-for-the-thing-they-need/) [Pat Califia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-califia/) > [I have made a career out of arguing that we shouldn't be criminalizing political differences. I've made a career out of arguing that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-have-made-a-career-out-of-arguing-that-we-shouldn-t-be/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) ## More by Kimberle Williams Crenshaw > [Black women's intersectional experiences of racism and sexism have been a central but forgotten dynamic in the unfolding of feminist and antiracist agendas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/black-women-s-intersectional-experiences-of-racism-and-sexism-have/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) > [Sexism isn't a one-size-fits-all phenomenon. It doesn't happen to black and white women the same way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/sexism-isn-t-a-one-size-fits-all-phenomenon-it-doesn-t-happen-to/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) > [People with problems are not problem people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/people-with-problems-are-not-problem-people/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) > [Our democracy cannot be left in the hands of those who would rather watch or participate in a train wreck than stop it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/our-democracy-cannot-be-left-in-the-hands-of-those-who-would-rather/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) > [Antiracists must acknowledge that patriarchy has long been a weapon of racism and cannot sit comfortably in any politic of racial transformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/antiracists-must-acknowledge-that-patriarchy-has-long-been-a-weapon/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) > [We must all stand against both the continual, systematic, and structural racial inequities that normalize daily violence as well as against extreme acts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/we-must-all-stand-against-both-the-continual-systematic-and/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) > [Intersectionality is an analytic sensibility, a way of thinking about identity and its relationship to power. 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Indeed, many writers, activists, and other women have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/not-all-black-women-have-silently-acquiesced-in-sexism-and-misogyny/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) > [Ideally, schools should be supportive environments for students. 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It's not about asking, it's about demanding. It's not about convincing those who are currently in power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/it-s-not-about-supplication-it-s-about-power-it-s-not-about-asking-it/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) > [While white women and men of color also experience discrimination, all too often their experiences are taken as the only point of departure for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/while-white-women-and-men-of-color-also-experience-discrimination-all/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) > [If we aren’t intersectional, some of us, the most vulnerable, are going to fall through the cracks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/if-we-aren-t-intersectional-some-of-us-the-most-vulnerable-are-going/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) [Explore all 61 Kimberle Williams Crenshaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) ## More Crime quotes > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. 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