Another look into an absurd school discipline policy that totes a 6-year-old off to jail for having a tantrum during school. Elsewhere in this country, young students have been suspended and jailed for throwing a pencil at another student, doodling on a school desk, and having a food fight. The absence of common sense discipline ... Read More
Featuring the World Premiere of a New Play: Willful Cornerstone Theater Company and The California Endowment, in partnership with The Black Parallel School Board, will bring the community, policy makers, and the media together to dramatize personal stories of school discipline and to discuss alternatives to harsh practices on Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at ... Read More
6.10.13 Even though many of you know that our policy work is focused on California, school districts all across the country are making moves from punitive to restorative justice practices, positive behavioral intervention and support, and social emotional learning in their schools. We want to include school districts that are beginning to have these important ... Read More
Billy Aydlett, principal of Leataata Floyd Elementary School in Sacramento looks at the options that teachers have in the classroom when a child is defiant. His recent piece in the Sacramento Bee can be read here. “That student can take a cool-down break, then sit down later with the teacher to resolve it, with the ... Read More
5.28.13 Even though many of you know that our policy work is focused on California, school districts all across the country are making moves from punitive to restorative justice practices, positive behavioral intervention and support, and social emotional learning in their schools. We want to include school districts that are beginning to have these important ... Read More
Kiera Wilmot, the Florida fifth grade student who was recently arrested and suspended for doing a high school science experiment, demonstrates the use of severe discipline policies that perpetuate the ‘school-to-prison-pipeline.’ The young scientist wrote a blog for the ACLU about how her and her family have been affected by the school’s harsh discipline policies. Read ... Read More
5.23.13 Even though many of you know that our policy work is focused on California, school districts all across the country are making moves from punitive to restorative justice practices, positive behavioral intervention and support, and social emotional learning in their schools. We want to include school districts that are beginning to have these important ... Read More
It’s time to fix school discipline practices and policies All students can learn. That’s a simple but profound starting place for talking about changing school discipline policies. As a former teacher in New Orleans public schools, I am well aware of the difficulty of teaching students who have varying backgrounds, abilities and learning styles in ... Read More
Los Angeles schools are leading the way to keep students in school and learning. The LAUSD school board has approved a School Climate Bill of Rights that will help schools reduce suspensions of students for minor behavioral issues, and implement alternatives that will support all students, improve school climate, and increase achievement. Click here to ... Read More
Thanks to your support and the voices of students throughout the state, AB 420 and AB 549 passed the first hurdle through the Assembly Education Committee! AB 420 would fix problems with California’s “willful defiance” code and AB 549 would address school safety plans and the important role of counselors in student success. This was ... Read More
