Mississippi - Youth leaders with the Nollie Jenkins Family Center, a DSC member organization based in Holmes County, have created an online petition asking the Holmes County School Board commit to ending corporal punishment and discontinue the mandatory use of school uniforms.

Members of the Dignity in Schools Campaign - New York, which included students, parents, educators and advocates from across the city, challenged the newest proposed revisions to the 2013-2014 Discipline Code, angered by the lack of significant changes made to address the disproportionate suspension rate of students of color.

Here you will find our campaigns' policy recommendations for Congress, and the Departments of Education and Justice to address the school-to-prison pipeline.

"I think that schools need to throw out the assumption that young people are all dangerous or a threat. They must work to understand the issues that students face every day whether it’s problems at home, learning difficulties, language barriers, experiencing bullying and discrimination. To accomplish this shift, both my high school and Chicago Public Schools need to prioritize training for teachers, students, staff, administration and parents ahead of this overemphasis on “zero tolerance” and school policing. Suspension and expulsion for non-violent offenses really do dismantle a student’s future."

DSC member organization Portland Parent Union successfully pushed for the passage of a bill to reform school discipline and roll back 'zero-tolerance' policies in Oregon. On May 21, 2013, the Oregon legislature passed HB 2192-B, removing mandatory expulsion requirements from the state's school discipline statute. The new legislation will go into effect in July 2014.

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