Communities Should Implement Positive Approaches in Response to Gun Violence and Address the Impact of School Safety Policies on Youth of Color

New York - Earlier today, the National Rifle Association released a set of alarming proposals to increase the number of armed personnel in schools as a response to the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School late last year. The effort, called the National School Shield Program, calls for funding and legislation to support NRA-sponsored model training programs for School Resource Officers and armed school personnel in our nation’s public schools.

Washington, DC - On Monday, March 4 at 4pm a national coalition of students of color and allies from around the country, including members of the Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC), the Advancement Project, the Alliance for Educational Justice, and Washington, DC-based youth organization Critical Exposure, will hold a rally on the NE corner of the U.S. Capitol Grounds to call on congress to reject school safety policies that promote an increase in police, school resource officers (SRO’s) and armed guards in our nations’ public schools. The coalition is urging Congress and the Obama administration to instead focus on proven positive measures like positive behavior intervention and supports, social and emotional learning, restorative justice, and the hiring and training of counselors, social workers, and community intervention workers.

In the weeks following the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut, a number of advocates, including members of Congress and the National Rifle Association, have called for armed guards and/or police officers in public schools. As Vice President Joe Biden’s task force on gun violence develops policy recommendations in response to the attack and gun violence more generally, a coalition of youth, parents, education advocates, civil rights organizations, and law enforcement are cautioning the White House against embracing proposals to put armed guards and police in schools.

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.