In a recent opinion piece for the New York Times, op-ed columnist David Brooks made an assertion that was as controversial as it was interesting. Mr. Brooks maintained that if Shakespeare’s “rambunctious” character Henry V had attended a modern-day American school, he would most likely not have lived up to the school’s standards.  Mr. Brooks predicted that Henry would not only miss a lot of recess time as punishment for his misdeeds, but also most likely be suspended, and that teachers would probably suggest to the prince’s parent that Henry be put on ADHD meds.

On Wednesday, June 27, 2012, POWER-PAC, a DSC Organizational Member, testified at the Chicago Board of Education Meeting, supporting the passage of a revised Student Code of Conduct which will drastically reduce the number of days of suspensions CPS students experience.  According to the Chicago Sun-Times, “the new code would limit the opportunities for a principal to suspend; encourage more in-school suspensions; reduce the maximum number of suspension days, and emphasize corrective approaches, such as peace circles or social skills instruction, as the first response to misdeeds.”  POWER-PAC Co-Chair Felipa Mena, was featured on Chicago's lead Spanish-language news, applauding CPS for passing the code with these revisions.

The High HOPES Campaign, a Chicago coalition of eight community groups that includes DSC members Access Living, Blocks Together, POWER-PAC/COFI and Southwest Youth Collaborative, won the passage of a non-binding resolution in the Chicago City Council in May after members of the Education Committee grilled Chicago Public Schools (CPS) about their failure to implement district-wide alternative discipline approaches.