It’s our first school day of the week of action and we are building off the momentum of the weekend’s events. Members are holding events in seven cities, including both virtual and safe in-person activities. If you are holding an event and want us to feature it on these blog posts and on our interactive map, send us an email at info@dignityinschools.org. You can join us on social media wherever you are by using the hashtags: #DSCWoA2020 #CounselorsNotCops #EquityforYouthNow and watch our Virtual Cafe on Facebook Live tonight at 6pm est/5pm cst/4pm mst/3pm pst. Facebook.com/DignityinSchool.
The demand we are lifting up today is: Remove all police from schools and shift funds to counselors, peace builders, restorative justice and positive discipline.
There are two events in California, the first in Los Angeles is hosted by CADRE who are kicking off a week of virtual Classroom Monitoring, as CADRE parents will be collecting insights to share with other parents during the DSC National Parent Listening Session and CADRE’s year-round Parent Educational Empowerment Academy. Parents will also study the public data request CADRE submitted to the LA School Police Department (LASPD) in conjunction with Public Counsel and others working together to defund LASPD. In the Central Coast of California, MILPA and Building Healthy Communities are hosting DEFUND REFORM REIMAGINE at 6:00pm PT, a bilingual workshop about community safety. MILPA will also hold a Social Media Campaign to highlight student health needs, and the local city budgets in the Central Coast. In addition, MILPA and BHC will be taking action to prevent the acceptance of a federal COPS grant in MPUSD.
There are also two events in Mississippi today. In Indianola, Sunflower County Parents and Students United will hold student and parent meetings through the week to discuss why counselors need to be in schools rather than cops to deal with issues that students have, especially now around COVID-19, and for counselors to help parents and students know how to relieve stress around COVID-19. In Tunica, Tunica Teens In Action will hold a Community Town Hall before the Monthly School Board Meeting to highlight “Counselor not Cops.”
In Portland, OR Portland Parent Union is hosting a T-shirt Package Pick-up from 3:00-6:00pm PT and will be collecting Counselors Not Cops Video posts all week from anyone who wants to add a story, poem, thought, song, spoken word or rap. Click here for more information.
Meanwhile on the east coast in New York City, YaYa Network is holding a Students’ Rights to Organizing Workshop from 5:00-6:00pm ET. Want to change your school? Join YA YA Network to learn about your rights to organize at school, what to expect, and how to get other students and allies involved. Register: http://bit.ly/Organize1020.
And Education Justice Alliance will be closing us out for the day in Raleigh, NC with a Candidates Forum for Wake County School Board at 7:00pm ET. Parents and students want to hear from you. Candidates Forum for Wake County School Board organized by the Education Justice Alliance and the ACLU of NC. Register here.
