Greetings DSC Members and Allies!

The past month has been quite eventful for DSC members! In late April members convened in Los Angeles for our Annual Membership Meeting to strategize on upcoming campaign initiatives, attend member led skill-building workshops and vote on major campaign decisions. We also share recent member updates below, including members organizing actions in Pennsylvania demanding an end to school pushout and calling for an end to police abuse in schools. If you have local campaign updates, events, or resources you would like to share through our e-newsletter email nancy@dignityinschools.org.

NATIONAL UPDATES

DSC Members Convene in Los Angeles for 6th Annual Membership Meeting

From April 22-24, DSC members from across the country convened in Los Angeles for our sixth Annual Membership Meeting. The weekend kicked off with members attending pre-meeting sessions on youth organizing, implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, addressing structural racism and implicit bias in schools, and discussing recommendations for ending policing in schools. Our pre-meeting sessions were followed by a powerful action organized by our member Labor Community Strategy Center and the Fight for the Soul of the Cities coalition calling on the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to give a public apology for their involvement in the Department of Defense’s 1033 program, which gave military grade weapons to the Los Angeles School Police Department, and to give reparations by investing in restorative justice practices.

Throughout the weekend, members also led skill-building workshops and discussed plans for our upcoming National Week of Action Against School Pushout taking place this fall from October 15th to 23rd. You can read our blog post about the meeting here and check out pictures of our powerful weekend here.

This month the Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) submitted a comment letter in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the issue of significant racial disproportionality in special education under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). Research has shown that students of color are disproportionately misidentified for certain categories of special education, placed in restrictive environments at higher rates than their peers and disproportionately subjected to punitive discipline practices. Our letter urges ED to issue final regulations that will ensure that states act to eradicate discriminatory practices, including employing a standard formula for determining significant disproportionality and ensuring implementation of evidence-based interventions like positive behavior interventions and supports. You can read our full comment letter here.

MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

On May 25, parents, advocates, and students from our member organizations Action United and the Education Rights Network held​ a Solutions Not Suspensions rally and testified at the Pittsburgh Public School Board meeting to call for immediate action to end an over reliance on suspensions, especially for the district's youngest students. Guided by best practices developed by the Dignity in Schools Campaign and the Alliance to Reclaim our Schools our members called on the district to commit to a moratorium on out-of-school suspensions and expulsions for non-violent misconduct of students in Pre-K to 5th grade. They also asked for changes to the Student Code of Conduct to prioritize restorative practices and asked the district to be transparent with monthly suspension data disaggregated by grade, race, disability and English Language Learner status.

This month DSC member Philadelphia Student Union (PSU) released a statement regarding a recent assault of PSU youth member, Brian Burney, by a school resource officer. On May 5, 2016 Brian attempted to use his school’s bathroom and was told by School Resource Officer Jeffrey Maiocha that he needed a pass and an argument ensued. Brian threw an orange at the wall out of frustration and was then assaulted by Officer Maiocha. Part of the incident was captured on video by a fellow student and shared publicly. Following the incident Brian was told he suffered a concussion and his parents have filed a complaint with Philadelphia’s Police Advisory Commission. Last week, over 100 students and allies rallied outside the Philadelphia Public Schools administration building to demand that Officer Maciocha be fired and call for a complete overhaul of school police training, a significant reduction of police in schools and for funding to be redirected towards restorative justice implementation in schools. You can also read a piece about the action here. (Photo: Joe Piette)

On May 17, youth leaders from our member organizations Youth on Board and Boston-Area Youth Organizing Project worked with other students and allies to organize a student walkout to protest budget cuts to Boston Public Schools (BPS). Cuts to the education budget would have terrible implications for BPS high schools, special education students and early education learning centers among others. Hundreds of students headed to City Hall from their schools where they rallied with allies chanting "What do we want? Our education!" Students then waited for hours at City Hall to testify in front of city councilors and a panel of BPS officials to urge them to reject the proposed budget. You can read more about the walkout here. (Photo: Jesse Costa/WBUR)

From May 15-21, 2016 our member Save the Kids organized the 4th Annual National Week of Action Against Incarcerating Youth. Communities from across the country held marches, workshops, film screenings and other events to demand alternatives to incarcerating youth. The week was organized with daily themes including days dedicated to calling for the elimination of zero tolerance policies and ending police presence in schools. You can see highlights from the week here.

STAFF UPDATES

IN THE NEWS

The Strategy Center Finally Gets the Tanks and M-16s Out of the LA School System
Eric Mann, Huffington Post, May 23, 2016

Michigan lawmakers take aim at school expulsions, suspensions
Lori Higgins and Kristi Tanner, Detroit Free Press, May 23, 2016

Gwinnett should change some school disciplinary policies, group says
Eric Stirgus, AJC.com, May 20, 2016

What's Wrong With Criminalizing Our Early Learners?
Harold Jordan, NBCDI Blog, May 19, 2016

Students, supporters protest Philly school cop's use of force on high schooler
Sam Newhouse, Metro News, May 17, 2016

Why should schools move away from suspensions? We asked student activists to weigh in
Patrick Wall, Chalkbeat New York, May 11, 2016

First Person: How can we teach students to be productive members of a community by removing them from it?
Tyler Brewster and Elana “E.M.” Eisen-Markowitz, Chalkbeat New York, April 28, 2016

Labor Community Strategy Center Action Against Dept. of Defense 1033 Program in Los Angeles Schools (Listen: Minute 12:58-15:02)
KPFA Radio, April 23, 2016