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Greetings DSC Members and Allies!
We are excited for our National Week of Action Against School Pushout, which kicks off this Saturday, October 3rd with events across the country! Find out how you can get involved below and check out our website for more information as the Week of Action continues through Sunday, October 11th. You can also read about updates and resources from our members' local campaigns, including a victory by Hearing Youth Voices in CT. If you have local campaign updates, events, or resources you would like to share email [email protected]!
NATIONAL UPDATES
Annual National Week of Action Against School Pushout
October 3 to October 11, 2015
The Dignity in Schools Campaign's 6th Annual National Week of Action Against School Pushout will take place from Saturday, October 3rd to Sunday, October 11, 2015. This year's theme is Invest in Public Education, Not Prison Cultivation! DSC members and allies are holding rallies, marches, forums and workshops across the country to raise awareness about the school pushout crisis in our nation's schools and to help launch and support local campaigns to transform school discipline policies and practices.
You can watch and share our Week of Action video on Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook!
Join Us & Support Actions On-line and in Local Communities!
Local Events Across the Country
Visit our website to see a list of local events being organized by members and allies in states across the country. If you are interested in hosting a local event in your community you can contact DSC Field Organizer, Fernando Martinez.
Thunderclap for Federal Accountability in ESEA
Sign-up now for our twitter thunderclap on October 8th at 12pm est to call for strong federal accountability in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
National Event Oct 6: Fund Public Schools, Not Jails. Save the date for our national event in Washington, DC on October 6th from 12-2pm est. We will host a panel discussion with youth, parents, members of Congress and the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. A link to watch the event via live stream will be available soon!
Twitter Chat Oct 7 with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans
Join our twitter chat on October 7 from 12pm-1pm est in collaboration with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans to promote strategies and solutions for investing in positive approaches to school climate and discipline.
MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
Hearing Youth Voices Victory! New London Board of Education Passes New Attendance Policy
After a 2 year campaign by DSC member Hearing Youth Voices, the New London Board of Education passed a new district attendance policy, which emphasizes supports and interventions when students are absent instead of punishments. The policy was developed in response to the research and experiences shared by youth leaders in meetings with the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent, which showed that students were being pushed out due to loss of credits, even when they were on track to graduate.
Before the vote on the new policy, youth leader Dimitry Exceus said, "For a couple years now myself and many other youth have been working towards turning our dream into a reality. We have gotten many promises from those in power but that's not enough because promises are not policies. Tonight let's turn these promises into policy." Read a news article here.
Nollie Jenkins Family Center Launches Petition to End Corporal Punishment
DSC member Nollie Jenkins Family Center launched a petition last month urging the Holmes County School Board in Mississippi to end corporal punishment as it is not a form of discipline; it is a tactic that is used to dominate, control and instill fear in very young children.
They are encouraging members and allies to sign their petition to demand that the Holmes County School Board end corporal punishment immediately. You can sign their petition here.
FFLIC Katrina 10 Event - 10 Years Later We're Still Recovering
On August 27, as local politicians tried to say that New Orleans is fully recovered and better than ever, DSC member Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) and allies launched the KatrinaTruth.org website and held a powerful community event offering a counter-narrative, highlighting all the ways African-American communities have been shut out of that recovery. Alicia Garza of #BlackLivesMatter gave the keynote address, calling out FFLIC for their years of work and commitment to Black leadership. Natalie Chap, DSC Campaign Coordinator, was in attendance and supported social media for the event.
School Pushout Tour Virginia
DSC members hosted the second leg of their Multi-City School Pushout Tour from August 25-27 to highlight school districts with high rates of school pushout. Members travelled to Richmond, VA to join Advocates for Equity in Schools-Henrico Coalition and I Vote for Me for three days of events, including a community forum, a press conference and speak outs at the Henrico and Chesterfield Public School Board meetings. On the final day of the tour Virginia members launched their state-wide Moratorium on Out-of-School Suspensions Campaign.
Members from four other states traveled to Richmond for the tour, including Portland Parent Union (OR), Citizens for a Better Greenville (MS), Parent Education Organizing Council (NJ) and Racial Justice NOW! (OH), as well as the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. Members were joined by DSC Communications Coordinator, Nancy Trevino, and Field Organizer, Fernando Martinez.
IN THE NEWS
Life Without Parole: For Juveniles, 5 Tough Counties
Beth Schwartzapfel, The Marshall Project, September 22, 2015
Report from Chicago: Dyett Hunger Strike Ends Today
Michelle Gunderson, Living in Dialogue, September 20, 2015
When Schooling Meets Policing
Melinda D. Anderson, The Atlantic, September 21, 2015
A Clock is Not A Clock In the Hands of Ahmed
Dignity in Schools Campaign September 16, 2015
Missouri Teenagers Protest a Transgender Student�s Use of the Girls� Bathroom
Karen Workman, The New York Times, September 1, 2015
Racial inequity mars New Orleans recovery
MSNBC, August 28, 2015
Closing the Pipeline
Mark Robinson, Richmond Magazine, August 27, 2015
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UPCOMING EVENTS
6th Annual National Week of Action Against School Pushout
Oct. 3-11, 2015, Nationwide
Join us for our National Week of Action Against School Pushout! See events across the country here.
Fund Public Schools Not Prisons Panel
Oct. 6 from 12 p.m- 2 p.m.
Human Rights Campaign Offices
1640 Rhode Island Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
As part of our National Week of Action, we have partnered with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, Human Rights Campaign and the National Women�s Law Center for a panel discussion where DSC members will share how school pushout has impacted their communities and share their organizing and advocacy work.
FCYO 1st Annual National Convening
Nov. 13-15, 2015
Durham, NC
DSC member The Youth Organizing Institute and the The Funders� Collaborative on Youth Organizing will co-host youth organizers from across the country. This convening is a program of FCYO�s Youth Community Organizing Resource Exchange (Youth CORE) which seeks to help build a stronger and more stable youth organizing field by bringing together a large number of youth organizers to share learnings, build relationships, and develop common strategy.
U.S. Human Rights Network Conference
Dec 10-13, 2015
Austin, TX
The U.S. Human Rights Network will hold their sixth biannual national human rights conference ADVANCING HUMAN RIGHTS 2015: Sharpening our Vision, Reclaiming our Dreams. You can register here.
RESOURCES
DSC Week of Action Media Organizing Packet
Here you will find our Media Organizing Packet that will help you in planning your week of action events. You will find sample social media language and tools for how to engage with the press.
White House Rethink Discipline Summit Resources
In July, the U.S. Department of Education released new tools to help schools Rethink Discipline. Here you will find various resources to support you in your advocacy work.
Katrina Truth Website
The KatrinaTruth.org website by DSC member FFLIC and allies is a counter-narrative to the recovery efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The facts and figures presented on this website invite a more nuanced look at the lack of progress made since Katrina.
About Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC)
The Dignity in Schools Campaign is a national coalition of youth, parents, advocates, community-based organizations, educators and policymakers working together to seek human rights-based solutions to the systemic problem of pushout in U.S. schools.
Follow us at @DignityinSchool
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