Policies that encourage police presence at schools, harsh tactics including physical restraint, and automatic punishments that result in suspensions and out-of-class time are huge contributors to the school-to-prison pipeline, but the problem is more complex than that. The school-to-prison pipeline starts (or is best avoided) in the classroom. When combined with zero-tolerance policies, a teacher's decision to refer students for punishment can mean they are pushed out of the classroom--and much more likely to be introduced into the criminal justice system. Keeping at-risk kids in class can be a tough order for educators under pressure to meet accountability measures, but classroom teachers are in a unique position to divert students from the school-to-prison pipeline. Teachers know their students better than any resource officer or administrator--which puts them in a singularly empowered position to keep students in the classroom. It's not easy, but when teachers take a more responsive and less punitive approach in the classroom, students are more likely to complete their education.