Results of Our Investigation into the New Assault Laws in Missouri Published in St. Louis American

Friends,

I'm sure many of you have read the news reports about Missouri's new assault laws and how they will affect kids. After reading these stories, I was highly concerned about what would happen to Missouri children in school.

In an effort to educate communities and help families protect themselves, I started investigating the law and the information surrounding it.

This investigation included interviews with people all over the state of Missouri, many days of research, and community discussions.

The conclusion I drew from all of this work is that, contrary to many of the news reports out there, the new assault laws do not allow more prosecution for school fights. It would be wrong for any of our institutions to go after more kids on the basis of a change in the law that does not exist.

I'm thankful that the St. Louis American published these results today to help kids and parents feel more secure in the rights they have. I have been working with area school districts and law enforcement officers to make sure our kids are treated like kids should be.

But families are rightfully terrified by what our kids are going through in many of our communities. Far too many kids are denied access to opportunity. Racial bias is undeniably a part of our system. Socioeconomic bias is undeniably a part of our system. Even if the new laws are the same as the old, the old ways weren't helping a large and growing portion of Americans.

The only way we fix these problems is by working together. I'm proud of the work the Education Exchange Corps has been able to do for the last nine years, and I have met many people who are determined to make Missouri a better home for all of our kids. Together, I know we can.


Here's the link to the St. Louis American story:
http://www.stlamerican.com/news/columnists/guest_columnists/new-laws-will-not-increase-prosecutions-for-school-fights/article_a32c9394-cea1-11e6-9fdb-1f85dacbefe4.html

Our post about the new assault laws
Our post about the juvenile justice system
Our post about the redefinition of "physical injury"
Our post about school district reporting requirements
Our post about the harassment law


To report a suspected issue with how the assault law is implemented, follow this link:
http://www.edexco.org/report.html

To support the Education Exchange Corps, you can donate at this link:
https://bitly.com/


Elad Gross is a former Assistant Attorney General of Missouri. He graduated from Washington University School of Law.

This blog post is not meant to provide legal advice. If you are in need of legal assistance, please contact an attorney.

Elad Gross, J.D.
President and CEO
Education Exchange Corps
www.EdExCo.org
elad@edexco.org