Welcome to the Dignity in Schools Campaign Listserv!

Let us know about your local campaigns and action alerts so that we can circulate the information on our listserv! We want to support the work of our members by connecting you to the national network of groups participating in the DSC. Contact info@dignityinschools.org.

June 25 - Alternatives to Zero Tolerance Working Group
(Formerly PBIS Working Group)
1pm PST, 3pm CST and 4pm EST

Contact Rosa Hirji to RSVP and receive call-in information.

Join us to follow-up on our last Working Group call as we begin research on federal strategies to promote alternatives to zero tolerance and ensure the human right to education for all children. We will also discuss action this summer to support the Positive Behavior for Effective Schools Act (PBESA).

Website Working Group - Send us Resources on Your State

Help us develop the Resources on Your State page on our website with Know Your Rights materials and Advocacy Guides for parents and students in different states around the country. Email links and materials to research@dignityinschools.org.

Drug Policy Alliance Campaign to Support NORA Ballot Initiative in California

Support the campaign to pass the Non-Violent Offender Rehabilitation Act (NORA), which will provide funding for educational and treatment programs for youth in California. To support the ballot initiative visit www.norayes.com.

Youth Researchers Issue Report on NYC Public Schools

A group of NYC high school students formed Youth Researchers For A New Education System (YRNES) in partnership with the Education is a Human Right Campaign to survey and interview NYC public school students. Their findings highlight the unequal distribution of resources in schools and call for greater participation of young people in decision-making about schooling.

New Resources Available on the DSC Website

• Documents from UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on human rights standards for discipline, juvenile justice and children with disabilities

• Protection from Corporal Punishment and Other Cruel Forms of Punishment, General Comment 8
  
• Rights of Children with Disabilities - Non-discrimination and Full Participation, General Comment 9
  
• Children's Rights in Juvenile Justice - Prevention in Schools, General Comment 10

• The Safety First Project at the Drug Policy Alliance has resources for educators, parents and advocates:

• Models for Drug Education and Restorative Practices for School Discipline
  Beyond Zero Tolerance: A Reality-Based Approach to Drug Education and School Discipline
  
• Tools for Parents on Drug Education
  Safety First: A Reality-Based Approach to Teens and Drugs
  
• Resources for Educators on Drug Education and Drug Testing
  Read the educational booklet - Making Sense of Student Drug Testing: Why Educators Are Saying No - and order a video on the Student Assistance Program in Oakland High School.
  

• A new page on the DSC website compiles Resources on Your State, including some new additions:

• Toolkit for Parents in Louisiana on School Discipline
  Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana
  
• Guides on School Discipline and Special Education in Massachusetts
  Children's Law Center of Massachusetts and the Disability Law Center of Massachusetts
  
• Guide for Parents on Advocating for Your Child in Virginia
  Just Children Program at the Legal Aid Justice Center
  

Please send us articles, reports, websites, on-line videos, tool-kits and other resources to add to the website. Email research@dignityinschools.org.

July 10 - 12pm PST, 2pm CST, 3pm EST

Save the date for our next national tele-conference call on How Immigration Issues in Schools Affect Pushout. Stay tuned for the announcement with details on speakers and questions for discussion.

Visit the website to learn about membership and get involved in the campaign. The DSC has a Core Group that oversees the project, Working Group Members that help shape our work and participate in our ongoing projects, and Allied Organizations that believe in and support the campaign.

Core Group Members:

Rosa Hirji, Chair of Education Subcommittee, Children’s Rights Litigation Committee, American Bar Association
Monica Llorente, Children & Family Justice Center, Northwestern School of Law
Rodney Skager, Professor Emeritus, UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies
Liz Sullivan, National Economic and Social Rights Initiative
Lori Turner, ACLU of Illinois

The Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) challenges the systemic problem of pushout in our nation's schools and advocates for every child’s human right to education and to be treated with dignity.  The DSC unites policy advocates, parent and student organizers, educators and lawyers in a campaign to promote local and national alternatives to a culture of zero-tolerance, punishment and removal.