FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
August 20, 2012
Contact: Joao Da Silva, 202-302-4706, Joao@DignityInSchools.org

LOS ANGELES, CA – On Tuesday, August 21st, the Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC), a national coalition of more than 50 organizations, together with the Opportunity to Learn Campaign, will join students, parents and educators to launch “Solutions Not Suspensions,” an effort that calls for a nationwide halt on out-of-school suspensions.

WHAT:  The alarming rate of out-of-school suspensions, which remove students from school, are directly correlated to higher drop out rates, decreased academic opportunities, referrals to juvenile justice courts and arrests. This event brings together in solidarity educators, advocates and students who are calling on schools, states and districts to end the practice of out-of-school suspensions and invest in better, more constructive disciplinary solutions that keep students in school and learning. The Dignity in Schools Campaign will also release its “Model Code on Education and Dignity,” a set of positive discipline policies that can aid districts and states in implementing the moratorium.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 21, 10:00 am-11:00 am PST

WHERE: Chuco’s Justice Center, 1137 E. Redondo Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90302

WHO:          
• Parents and youth from DSC-Los Angeles member groups CADRE, Labor Community Strategy Center, Public Counsel and Youth Justice Coalition
• Honorable Judge Donna Gorman, Los Angeles Juvenile Delinquency Court
• Anna Bean, Teachers Unite (NY)
• John Jackson, President & CEO, Schott Foundation
• Joseph Bishop, Director of Policy, Opportunity to Learn Campaign
• Parents, youth, and organizers from Dignity in Schools Campaign member groups including Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children, Teachers Unite (NY), Citizens for a Better Greenville (MS), Gwinnett STOPP (GA), and COFI/POWER-PAC (IL)

###

The Dignity in Schools Campaign is a coalition of youth, parents, educators, civil rights organizations, and social justice advocates working to ensure the human right of every child to a quality education and to be treated with dignity. The DSC challenges the systemic problem of “push out” and promotes local and national alternatives to a culture of zero-tolerance, punishment and removal in schools.