Washington, DC - Today, Edward Ward, a youth leader with Chicago-based community organization Blocks Together and a member of the Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC), will testify before the first-ever Senate hearing on "Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline" about his first-hand experience with the culture of zero tolerance discipline that has lead to more than 3 million young people being suspended out of school each year, overwhelmingly for minor, non-violent offenses. The DSC commends Senator Durbin and the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights for holding this hearing and ensuring that the voices of youth leaders like Edward are heard. 

New York City public schools reported 69,643 suspensions in the 2011-2012 school year, according to new Department of Education data released Friday afternoon. The figure represents a 5.2 percent decrease from the 73,441 suspensions reported in 2010-2011, which may reflect recent revisions to the DOE’s Discipline Code and efforts to train teachers on positive disciplinary approaches. However, the rate of suspensions is still more than double what it was at the beginning of the Bloomberg administration.

(10/04/2012) New York, NY - On October 5th at 7:00 p.m., New York City students, parents, educators, and education advocates will begin a candlelight vigil and march across the Brooklyn Bridge carrying 206 life-size student cut outs, representing the number of students suspended each day in New York City schools. Students, parents, and public officials will stop and speak out at Tower One on the Bridge to demand that the NYC Department of Education reduce suspension rates and implement alternative policies that focus on resolving conflict in positive ways to keep youth in school.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2012

LOS ANGELES, Calif — A grassroots initiative of students, educators, parents, and community leaders, joined by more than 50 partners and allies, have today launched a national call for a moratorium on out-of-school suspensions and for schools to adopt more constructive disciplinary policies that benefit students, classrooms and communities.The nationwide call, announced at an event led by the Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) and the Opportunity to Learn Campaign in Los Angeles today, comes as recently released federal data revealed that Black and Latino students and students with disabilities are disproportionately targeted by suspensions, and are likely to be punished more severely than white students for minor, subjective misbehavior. This method of disciplinary action, the group argues, deepens the achievement gap,contributes to high dropout rates and increases the likelihood of student arrests and referrals to the juvenile justice system.