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
Suspensions are used to discipline students for just about everything these days. Here are some recent articles that demonstrate some truly unbelievable stories of student suspensions. From Science Class To School-to-Prison? Criminalizing Black Girls A 16-year old African-American girl got arrested and expelled when her failed experiment in science class caused an explosion. Read more… ... Read More
5.10.13 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 in their schools. We want to include school districts that are beginning to have these important conversations, as well as bring you more of these ... Read More
Please send in your letters of support today! The hearings on TWO critical bills to Fix School Discipline are next week! Letters are due tomorrow, Wednesday, April 24, by 5 pm for SB 744, which will protect the due process rights of students involuntarily transferred to county community or community day schools and also closes a loophole ... Read More
Did you know California public schools suspend more students each year (more than 400,000) than they graduate (382,558 in 2011) ? A special statewide hearing on Monday, September 10, with students and education and civil rights leaders will look at the reasons why and focus on solutions that work. Read the press advisory: ‘WHY ARE ... Read More
California legislators have taken a first step toward approving bills that would fix major problems with school discipline rules, improve data collection, and give educators more discretion before issuing out-of-school suspensions. But Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget would cut key protections for students. Click here to send a virtual postcard today and ask him to ... Read More
Kerry Callahan, principal of Pioneer High School in Woodland, California, has met students who need counseling, instead of a suspension, which would make them fall behind in class. Ms. Callahan believes that the practice of suspending students has gotten out of hand. She saw that her community was hungry for change and thus, implemented a ... Read More
The Center for Public Integrity obtained data showing that officers the nation’s largest school police force issued the equivalent of 28 tickets every day to students in 2011. Judge Michael Nash, who presides over Los Angeles’ juvenile courts, believes incidents should be handled in schools or through counselings or meetings with parents outside court. This ... Read More
Students United to Create a Climate of Engagement , Support and Safety (S.U.C.C.E.S.S.) empowers students to partner with schools and communities to develop comprehensive and sustainable strategies for engagement, support, and safety at school. Over the last year, youth and adults have partnered through S.U.C.C.E.S.S. to develop strategies that promote a safe and participatory school ... Read More
The High HOPES (Healing Over the Punishment of Expulsions and Suspensions) Campaign, a Chicago-based campaign which aims to reduce suspensions and expulsions by 40%, issued a new report about restorative justice to talk about the long-term damaging effects suspensions and expulsions have on our youth. The report makes several key recommendations, which include the incorporation ... Read More
