City by City

The Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) announced four more cities making progress in dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. Syracuse, NY and Paterson, NJ are going to reduce the rates of suspension and Wake County, NC and Oakland, CA are establishing MOUs between law enforcement and schools. City by city, we are reversing the school pushout problem that has undermined our country’s efforts to improve academic achievement and high school graduation.

If your community hasn’t tackled the school-to-prison pipeline issue, you can join the National Week of Action Against School Pushout. Dignity in Schools wants to continue to raise awareness about the pushout crisis. The theme this year is Education is the Key! Don't Lock Us Out!

Below are updates from the four cities from the DSC. Congratulations to all the community leaders who are helping their districts realize that pushing out children is locking them out of college and careers.

On July 9, the Syracuse School Board approved an agreement to reduce out-of-school suspensions, implement alternative approaches to discipline, and ensure that schools reduce racial disparities and discrimination against children of all races and abilities. The great work of DSC member Center for Community Alternatives, along with other community allies, was instrumental in gaining this victory. The district will be required to revise its Code of Conduct, provide training to students and teachers, and ensure that parents understand their children's rights and responsibilities. You can read more here.

After many months of organizing for a moratorium on out-of-school suspensions in Paterson Public Schools, the Parent Education Organizing Council (PEOC) and Paterson Education Fund succeeded in working with the school district to revise its Code of Conduct. “We thought that we were going to get them to come up with a new code or regulations for K-8 students, and we ended up re-writing a new code for K-12,” said, PEOC President Linda Reid. “Before the Moratorium campaign, there were 27 ways a child could be suspended and now we reduced it to 5 types of infractions.”

After months of mobilizing and meetings by community organizations and the filing of a federal civil rights complaint, the Wake County Public School System agreed to a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with law enforcement. The effort, led by DSC members the Youth Organizing Institute and the Education Justice Alliance, built a strong coalition that is changing the way we discipline students in schools. The new MOU requires training, documentation, and more accountability for officers in schools.

In Oakland, DSC member Black Organizing Project is negotiating an MOU between the Police Department and School District that will be voted on in August. The MOU defines and limits the role of police in schools, stating that no school resource officer should act as a school disciplinarian and that law enforcement shall only be used as a last resort. Alternatives to police involvement, such as restorative justice practices, must be tracked and documented and a plan of support must be created for students who have multiple law enforcement contacts. You can read more here.