Release of National Resolution for Ending School Pushout
Over 200 organizations and individuals across the country have signed on to the Dignity in Schools Campaign National Resolution for Ending School Pushout, a call to action for our school systems to end the harsh disciplinary policies that push young people out of school, and to adopt positive alternatives that protect students' human rights to education and dignity.
The release of the National Resolution release has been covered on national blogs and radio programs, and organizations around the country have distributed the Resolution to policy-makers and community members:
- On December 17, the Los Angeles Chapter of the DSC distributed the Resolution at the Youth Justice Coalition March for Respect in Los Angeles to challenge juvenile justice policies that lead to the mass incarceration of young people. Read the article - LA Youth March for Respect - and Justice
The release of the Resolution was covered on December 10, International Human Rights Day:
- Listen to Free Speech Radio News Interview with Liz Sullivan, DSC Core Group Member and Education Program Director at NESRI
- Read the blog, The School-to-Prison Pipeline, by Robert C. Kohler
Learn more about the release activities taking place across the country to distribute the Resolution and how you can take action in your community:
- Read about what's happening locally and nationally
- Watch video testimonies from our "Voices from the Dignity in Schools Campaign" series
The School to Prison Pipeline: Is it a Human Rights Violation?
Roundtable Dialogue, October 23, Chicago, IL
Watch Video of October 23 Roundtable Dialogue
Watch the dialogue featuring speakers from around the country, including Adilka Pimental, Youth Organizer with Make the Road New York, Judge Brian Huff, Family Court of Jefferson County, Alabama, Representative Dora Olivo, Texas State House of Representatives, Chandra Bhatnagar, ACLU Human Rights Project, and Marcella Diana, National Education Association.
Read an Article on the Model Code Project and Dialogue
"Model discipline code would limit suspensions to keep more kids in school," Chicago Catalyst, November 16, 2009
The Dignity in Schools Campaign co-sponsored the Roundtable Socratic Dialogue - The School to Prison Pipeline: Is it a Human Rights Violdation? - as part of a full day conference, Raising Our Hands: Creating a National Strategy for Children's Right to Education and Counsel, sponsored by the American Bar Association Section of Litigation Children's Rights Litigation Committee and the DSC.
For the education track of the conference, summit participants and the DSC have been working to develop a model school code that applies human rights standards to promote a human right to a high quality education and dignity in U.S. public schools.
The Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) challenges the systemic problem of pushout in our nation's schools and advocates for the human right of every child to a quality 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.
This website includes a searchable database of research on pushout, school discipline, and positive alternatives, specific resources for youth, parents and educators, and information about our active campaign projects. Contact us to join the campaign.