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How Do We Make Schools Safer? - (Blog entry)

Natalie Chap, coordinator of the Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC), and Liz Sullivan, a member of the DSC Coordinating Committee and director of the Human Right to Education Program at the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative, co-authored this article for the American Bar Association's Children's Rights Litigation Newsletter presenting the DSC's Model Code on Education and Dignity as an alternative to policies that would increase the number of school resource officers (SROs) and other law enforcement personnel, along with the use of zero-tolerance practices, in our nation's schools.  Click here to read the full article.
No Peace With A Piece: April Fools Week of Action - North Carolina - (Event)

NC HEAT will be speaking on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill on Monday, April 1 at 6pm.  
No Peace With A Piece: April Fools Week of Action - Miami, FL - (Event)

 

End the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Pipeline In Miami Schools!!!

 
No Peace With A Piece: April Fools Week of Action - California - (Event)

Monday, April 1 - 2-6pm - No Police in Schools! 
You Can't Build Peace With a Piece - (Resource Library Topic)
'You Can't Build Peace With A Piece' Rally at U.S. Capitol and White House to Reject Harmful School Safety Policies - (Blog entry)

On Monday, March 4th, youth from across the country held a rally on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and led a march to the White House to call on Congress and the Obama administration to reject school safety policies that criminalize students of color, immigrant youth, LGBTQ students and students with disabilities and push them out of school. Youth and parent leaders from states including California, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, and Washington, DC gathered to give testimony about the impact of increased police presence, armed guards, metal detectors and zero tolerance discipline policies in their schools and communities and to demand that the voices of youth of color be included in the conversation on gun violence prevention and school safety. Speakers urged legislators and the White House to focus on investing in proven positive measures like Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), social and emotional learning, Restorative Justice, and the hiring and training of counselors, social workers, and community intervention workers.
Statement By Youth of Color on School Safety and Gun Violence in America - (Blog entry)

A coalition of organizations led by youth of color, including the Youth Justice Coalition and other members of the Dignity in Schools Campaign, have launched "You Can't Build Peace With a Piece" a national youth-led campaign to call for positive approaches in response to gun violence and address the impact of school safety policies on youth of color in the aftermath of the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. The coalition has created a Facebook Group to spread the word, share content, and resources, to collaborate on a series of events throughout February, March, and April.
Youth of Color Statement on School Safety and Gun Violence - (Research Report/Paper)

 A coalition of organizations led by youth of color, including the Youth Justice Coalition and other members of The Dignity in Schools Campaign and Alliance for Education Justice, have launched "You Can't Build Peace With a Piece" a national youth-led campaign to call for positive approaches in response to gun violence and address the impact of school safety policies on youth of color in t
Teach-In: No To Cops, Yes To Counselors - Chicago, IL - (Event)

On Wednesday, President Obama unveiled a new proposal to provide funding to school districts that want to hire additional police or counselors. Research suggests that there are many dangers in having police in schools and most of these feed the school-to-prison pipeline. We are well acquainted with these dangers in Chicago Public Schools.
Dignity in Schools Campaign Statement on White House Proposal on Gun Violence - (Blog entry)

Invest In Practices that Strengthen Bonds between Students and Educators, Not Increased Police Presence

Washington, DC – Yesterday, President Obama laid out an impressive plan to meaningfully address the causes of gun violence and highlighted the importance of fostering a nurturing school climate to help prevent school violence. Part of the President’s plan would enable U.S. schools to hire up to 1,000 more school police or school counselors. We are concerned by any plan that could result in more police in schools. “What our schools need are programs that promote peaceful conflict resolution that will strengthen our communities,” said Dwayne Hoye, a member of Blocks Together and the Dignity in Schools Campaign, and a graduate of Orr Academy High school in Chicago, IL. “We already have approximately two police officers per public school in Chicago and in spite of that, I never felt any safer in my school. I wish they had used those resources to train my teachers and school staff on how to prevent conflict instead."