Ingraham: 'PROMISE Program' Hailed By Obama Admin Led to Florida Schools Ignoring Violent Students- March 5, 2018

Laura Ingraham examines an initiative called the 'PROMISE Program' that reduced the number of school-related arrests in Broward County Public Schools. In 2011-2012, BCPS had the highest number of student arrests in Florida but after the superintendent implemented the program arrests plummeted. PROMISE gave school administrators the power to decide whether infractions were deemed worthy of involving the policy rather than following guidelines that were previously in place. PROMISE stands for 'Preventing Recidivism through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education.' The program was praised by the Obama administration and the school district was awarded $54 million in grants from the $4 billion 'Race to the Top' initiative.

Ingraham listed the infractions that the 'PROMISE Program' prevented police from getting involved in: Alcohol-related incidents, assault, threat, bullying, disruption on campus, drug use, possession, under the influence, drug paraphernalia, possession, false accusation against school staff, fighting, mutual combat, harassment, thefts, trespassing, vandalism and damage to property. According to a pamphlet by BCPS, the 'Promise Program' was implemented in an effort to "eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline." Arrests went from 1,056 students in 2011-2012 to 392 in the 2015-2016 school year.

"The Obama bureaucrats incentivized Broward to go even further, awarding the district nearly $54 million in grants to improve the lives of students in poverty and students of color," she said. "The standard to show that their lives are actually improving? Fewer arrests at schools, less police involvement, fewer disciplinary problems, at least on paper. So, school administrators were basically paid to deal with student crime in-house and keep the cops off the premises."
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