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Boston Passes Historic
Code of Conduct Policy!!
Centered on Alternative Discipline and
Ending the School-To-Prison Pipeline
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This Listening Project was one of the many outreach strategies used by
BSAC to help inform Code of Conduct policy
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The fight to end the school-to-prison pipeline made historic strides last week in Boston, MA when the Boston Public School Committee adopted an entirely new Code of Conduct by unanimous vote that centers on alternative and supportive practices at all levels of discipline.
This policy is the result of three years of hard work by the student leaders at BSAC in partnership with adult allies and advocates in the Code of Conduct Advisory Council (COCAC), the Chapter 222 Coalition, and BPS leadership.
BSAC leaders organized their peers, listened to hundreds of Boston youth at train stations, in schools and forums, and pushed allies and the district alike on student priorities in discipline, resulting in a bold and pioneering code. This new policy brings us closer to giving every student a true opportunity to learn.
Highlights of the new Code of Conduct ensure that: - students can't be suspended or expelled until alternative solutions are tried and exhausted.
- a framework based on alternative discipline, including restorative justice and tiered supports is used
- the contents of a student's cell-phone can't be searched
- students will receive intervention and rehabilitative services for drug or alcohol use or possession before any punitive action is considered.
We are very excited by these student-centered changes and pleased with the successful collaborative process. |
