Welcome to the Dignity in Schools Campaign listserv! We encourage you to become involved in one of our active Working Group projects. Below you can read about three Working Group conference calls coming up this month.

November 6 - Planning for Special Education Tele-conference Series
1 p.m. PST, 3 p.m. CST, 4 p.m. EST

Join us to help plan an upcoming three part tele-conference series on special education, pushout and human rights. Share your ideas for discussion topics, speakers and concrete outcomes for the calls. Contact Lori Turner for more information.

To participate in the Working Group call:
Dial 218-844-3366
Enter 19482009 as your passcode

Nov 13 - Hearing in San Francisco on Graduation as a Human Rights Issue

The San Francisco Human Rights Commission is holding a public hearing to "Address Disparities in San Francisco High School Graduation Rates as a Human Rights Issue." The hearing will take place on Thursday, November 13 from 4 to 8pm.

Teacher Voice on School Safety and Human Rights in NYC

A new report from Teachers Unite and NESRI, "Teachers Talk: School Culture, Safety and Human Rights," finds that teachers believe aggressive policing and suspensions undermine the human right to education.

UN Expert Requests Information on the Right to Education in Detention

The UN Special Rapporteur on Education is gathering information for a report to the Human Rights Council on the right to education for people in detention. To learn how to submit information for the report, email research@dignityinschools.org.

November 13 - Planning for June 2009 National DSC Conference in Chicago
12 p.m. PST, 2 p.m. CST, 3 p.m. EST

Help us plan for our upcoming national Dignity in Schools Campaign Conference on school discipline, pushout and human rights to take place June 5 and 6, 2009 in Chicago. During our next call, we will reach consensus on our conference outcomes and discuss the next steps for planning. Contact Anna Lambertson for more information.

To participate in the Working Group call:
Dial 218-844-3366
Enter 19482009 as your passcode

November 19 - Alternatives to Zero Tolerance Working Group
11 a.m. PST, 1 p.m. CST, 2 p.m. EST

The Alternatives to Zero Tolerance Working Group has collected 38 signatures from parents, advocates, teachers, and community and civil rights organizations from around the country for our letters regarding the Positive Behavior for Effective Schools Act (PBESA). Huge thanks to all those involved in collecting signatures!

The working group will reach out to staff for Representative Hare to set up meetings to discuss the PBESA and learn more about legislators’ plans for reintroducing the bills in the next legislative session. As a national campaign composed of so many different educational stakeholders, we hope to be a strong and worthy voice in seeing this legislation through and helping to strengthen it.

Join us to discuss our recommendations for the Act’s language. Prior to the call, interested working group members will be collaborating to draft our recommended language for the PBESA. To join in the drafting, please contact Matthew Cregor.

To participate in the Working Group call:
Dial 218-844-3366
Enter 19482009 as your passcode

DSC Tele-conference Series:

• Access the Powerpoint presentation from our Sept 18 tele-conference call, "Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline through Human Rights"

Resources on Restorative Practices:

• Discipline code in Denver Public Schools incorporates restorative practices after three year campaign by Padres & Jovenes Unidos
  
  
• Milwaukee Public Schools and District Attorney's Office introduce restorative practices to reduce suspensions
  

Links to Websites

• A Broader, Bolder Approach to Education - Statement from educational leaders that embraces an approach to education which pays attention to development of the whole person, including physical health, character, social development, and non-academic skills.
  
  
• Campaign for US Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child - read about upcoming congressional briefings and events.
  
  
• Forum for Education and Democracy - See recent forum on Student Engagement as a Dropout Prevention Strategy.

Resources for Educators

Help us develop a new section on our Resources for Educators page on Teachers Taking Action to end pushout, support alternatives to zero-tolerance and promote human rights. Examples of resources include:

• National Education Association's 12 Dropout Action Steps
• Teachers Unite in New York City, building a movement of public school teachers who play a critical role in working for social justice.
• California State PTA Alternatives to Zero Tolerance Resolution

Please send links to your campaign activities or resources to Liz Sullivan.

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.

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:

Matthew Cregor, Southern Poverty Law Center
Rosa Hirji, Children’s Rights Litigation Committee, American Bar Association
Anna Lambertson, Parent Advocate, Kansas
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
Lynn White, Advocate, Washington, DC