TEXAS TEEN SENTENCED TO 7 YEARS FOR SHOVING AT SCHOOL FINALLY RELEASED FROM PRISONAfter much protest and rallying, 15-year old Shaquanda Cotton was finally released to her mother, Creola Cotton, this past Saturday by the Texas Youth Commission after spending a year in jail.
Paris, Texas, home to Shaquanda and the incident in question, is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education. The federal government is looking into allegations of systemic discrimination against Black students at the Paris School District, where African-American students frequently receive more harsh discipline than their white counterparts.
The incident triggering the investigation was Cotton's 7 year prison sentence in a Texas youth prison by Judge Chuck Superville last March. The crime? Shoving a teacher's aide at school. Cotton did commit the crime. The only problem was that she had no prior criminal record.
In stark contrast, the same judge sentenced a 14-year old white girl to only probation after being convicted of arson. She eventually was sent to prison, but only after the girl violated that very probation twice.
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