The Art of Asking Why: December graduate Ashleigh Thornton publishes book for local school children
Ashleigh Thornton is scheduled to graduate in December. Photo courtesy Ashleigh Thornton.
By Kathryn Bonti
Cap and gown, check. Final exams, check. Changing the world, still left to do.
Ashleigh Thornton, a soon-to-be Stetson Law grad, may be walking across the stage for an early graduation in December, but her time making a difference in the juvenile justice system is only just beginning.
“We are making progress, but we can always do better,” says Thornton. “That is why I wanted to do this project.”
Thornton is referring to her guidebook entitled “The Art of Asking Why: A School Administrator’s Guidebook for Combating the School-to-Prison Pipeline,” a 20-page practical manual and informational tool for educators to use throughout the state of Florida focused on empowering administrators and others in authority to take a moment and think about the consequences of outdated disciplinary policies.
Blending her passion for justice with her love for children, Thornton set out to create something tangible for minors directly affected by the school-to-prison pipeline. After spending her spring semester interning at the 13th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office in the juvenile division, she experienced first-hand just how troubling sometimes forgetting to ask why can be.
“A lot of these kids have things going on at home, absent parents, no food to eat, no family,” says Thornton. “I am not advocating for a lack of punishment, I am just hopeful that we as a legal body can wake up and recognize that excessive punishment is not the answer.”
Excessive punishment can have dramatic and often-times life changing outcomes for these children. Even a one-time run-in with the court system can almost guarantee future jail and prison time for these students, some of whom are as young as eight years old.
The “Art of Asking Why” is broken up into three different sections: What, Who and How, and Why. The first section goes over Florida specific statistics, introduces the school to prison pipeline, and provides an inside look into why this whole system exists. The next section brings to life the faces behind the closed courtroom doors, the children who society ignores and penalizes for common, harmless adolescent behavior. This section also provides a glossary, where definitions for words like “plea deal, bench trial, no contest” provide guidance and background information for educators before making a decision.
The last section, the section that influenced the whole book, challenges educators to exercise more compassion.
“A little compassion could go a long way,” Thornton explains. “Nelson Mandela told us that ‘education is the most powerful weapon that we can use to change the world.’ We need to keep these children in school and out of the criminal justice system.”
The “Why” section calls for administrators to start examining their disciplinary decisions as opposed to sending students off to out-of-school suspension for issues as minor as being tardy to class. The section then wraps up with a final message of hope and gratitude, acknowledging that change takes time and a lot of help.
Thornton credits the support of her parents and mentors who have helped shape her professional career.
Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy Quince provided a foreword and professors Ann Piccard and Judith Scully, coordinators of the Social Justice Advocacy Concentration program at Stetson, provided guidance for Thornton’s book.
“Whether it was Professor Piccard assisting me with edits and securing a grant for the publication of my guidebook, or Professor Scully inspiring me to go after my dreams and fight for equality, I’ve had so much support along the way,” said Thornton, who credits her mentors Justice Quince, Professor Piccard and Professor Scully with helping her to succeed.
Thornton will graduate with a concentration in Social Justice Advocacy at Stetson Law. After graduation, she plans to continue to work to help juveniles. She will be working at the Attorney General’s Office while pursuing her graduate degree in criminology.
“And to think I wanted to go into corporate law, and get my M.B.A.,” Thornton says with a smile. “I couldn’t imagine doing anything but this now. I have found what I was meant to do.”
“The Art of Asking Why” will officially be released this spring, finding its way to grade schools across Pinellas County and into the hands of judges and bar associations throughout the Tampa Bay area.
Post date: Nov. 26, 2018
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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