Day Four: #WeChoose Public Education Not Prison Cultivation

The Week of Action continues with actions today from coast to coast and in between: we’ve got events throughout California and in Wisconsin, Michigan, Boston and Washington, DC. On social media we are focusing on Demand #6: Invest in public education and divest from privatization and publicly funded, privately managed schools.

Tuesday, Oct 23 – Day 4 Events:

Bay Area, CA

Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth will hold an action at the San Francisco Board of Education at 6:00 pm, speaking truth to power about the need to support – and not criminalize – students and families. Contact akingwood@colemanadvocates.org and visit Facebook!

BSU of the University of San Francisco is hosting an Anti-Police Brutality Panel from 6-8pm.

GSA Network will have a panel on Lift Us Up Don’t Push Us Out – Voices from the Bay Area Education Justice Movement – with Black Organizing Project and Coleman Advocates from 5:30-7pm at Oakstop 14, Beckford Suite, 274 14th Street, Oakland.

Bakersfield, CA – Parlier Vecinos Unidos (United Neighbors) of the Dolores Huerta Foundation will be attending the Parlier Unified School Board meeting at 6pm at Parlier Jr. High to request the removal of LCAP funds for student resource officers and for the removal of the student resource officer. Contact ccastro@doloreshuerta.org or visit their website.

Boston, MA – Youth on Board/BSAC and Boston-Area Youth Organizing Project are conducting a Listening Project from 2-6pm where students will gather stories from other students about their experiences with school discipline policies. For more information contact: gpereira0116@gmail.com or jessica@youthonboard.org.

Central Coast, CA – MILPA Collective is having a Counselors Not Cops Community Conversation at 5:30pm and Social Media blitz highlighting the narratives of those directly impacted by the school to prison pipeline. Students will tell stories about their experiences with counselors and/or safety officers. Facilitators will ask students to focus on the way they felt in the moments rather than the moment itself. For more info: http://www.milpacollective.org/

Madison, WI – Freedom Inc is hosting a Town Hall Meeting: Safety in Schools for Black and Brown Students from 5:30pm-8:00pm at the Black Cultural Center, 716 Langdon Street, Madison, WI.

Santa Clara, CA – Youth Alliance Calls for Youth Restorative Supports & to Stop Punishing Trauma at the Board of Supervisors Meeting at 9:00am.

Washington DC – Restorative DC and Advocates for Justice and Education are screening the documentary film For Ahkeem, followed by a facilitated audience dialogue. Hosted by ONE DC’s Black Workers Center at 2500 MLK Jr. Ave SE, from5pm-7pm.

Ypsilanti, MI – DWH Inspires will host an event from 4:30pm-6:15pm entitled Racial Inequality Roundtable with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel at the Parkridge Community Center.

And several members holding events all week will continue their work today:

  • Indianola, MS – Sunflower County Parents and Students United is hosting a  series of week long events to bring students and parents together to discuss school pushout and implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
  • Los Angeles, CA – CADRE (Community Asset Development Re-defining Education) will continue its annual tradition of parent-led classroom observations across 20 targeted schools in South LA, and gather data about classroom climate and implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention. 
  • Los Angeles County, CA – Youth Justice Coalition will be conducting surveys all week of students in continuation schools across LA County – including Probation schools inside juvenile halls, youth prisons and for youth in the community. For more information contact kim@youth4justice.org / gloria@youth4justice.org.

 

Tuesday, Oct 23 – Social Media: #DSCWoA2018 #CounselorsNotCops #WeChoose

Demand #6 Invest in public education and divest from privatization and publicly funded, privately run charter schools. Sample tweets:

  • We demand that @usedgov and [enter your state dept of ed or local policy-maker] invest in public education & divest from privatization and publicly funded, privately run charter schools #WeChoose #DSCWoA2018 https://tinyurl.com/CharterGuidelines
  • Join DSC members and allies in the #WeChoose Campaign for a webinar: How We Won: 4 Strategies That Won #CommunitySchools. TODAY 6pm ET. Email info@j4jalliance.com to register. @J4J_USA @ReclaimOutSchls #DSCWoA2018