October 26th, 2018
Contact: Tafari Melisizwe, Dignity in Schools Campaign, Phone: (612) 532-8835, tafari@dignityinschools.org | JVargas@cofionline.org
Chicago Parents Host National Week of Action Event to Demand School Discipline that Helps Students Succeed, Not Policies that Push them into Prison
Dignity in Schools Campaign Week of Action Calls for Counselors, Not Cops
Chicago, IL – ‘Parents Organized to Win, Educate, Renew- Policy Action Council’ (POWER-PAC) and The Woman of God’s Design Ministry in conjunction with the Dignity in
Schools Campaign (DSC) are co-hosting a community forum on the issue of School-Based Police Officers in Chicago Public Schools, as part of the 9th Annual National Week of Action Against School Pushout.
The community forum will take place on Saturday October 27th, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Lawndale Christian Health Center, 3750 W. Ogden, Chicago, IL 60623, 4th floor Skyline Room. Community members will be joined by the Office of Inspector General and the Director of Safety and Security for Chicago Public Schools.
The forum will begin with testimony from Dignity in Schools Campaign youth and parent leaders from across the country–including California, Massachusetts, Maryland and Pennsylvania–about the national trend of over-reliance on law enforcement in schools serving Black and Brown communities.
“We have gotten to a place in this country where there are more police officers than counselors in a lot of our schools, and that is unacceptable. We do not want police in our schools, but until we can get them out, we demand protections for all young people.” Charlene Campbell, POWER-PAC Elementary Justice Co-chair.
Local community members from Chicago will then share their experience with school-based police officers. The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law and The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General will present on their shocking investigative findings regarding school-based police in Chicago Public Schools.
Finally, the community will engage in dialogue with Jadine Chou, Director of Safety and Security in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), on what young people need to be safe in schools and what steps CPS will take to correct the issues with their School Resource Officers.
This forum is part of a week-long series of events in over 20 states being held from October 20th-28th as part of the National Week of Action Against School Pushout. This year’s theme is ‘Counselors Not Cops.’ Dignity in Schools Campaign members across the country will bring attention to the devastating impacts of school policing and zero-tolerance discipline policies and share their work to implement approaches to school discipline, like restorative justice practices, that build positive school climates and keep students in the classroom.
You can find more information about actions across the country at: http://www.sdignityschool.wpengine.com/our-work/week-of-action.
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The Dignity in Schools Campaign is a national coalition of over 100 organizations led by youth, parents, educators, civil rights leaders, and social justice advocates that promote alternatives to zero-tolerance discipline policies and call for the removal of regularly stationed police officers in schools. The reliance on law enforcement and the use of suspensions and expulsions to address misbehavior result in higher suspension rates and referrals to law enforcement for students of color, often for minor misconduct, fueling a “school-to-prison” pipeline. You can find more information at: http://dignityinschools.org
POWER-PAC is a cross-cultural, state-wide membership organization of COFI-trained parents whose mission is to build the voice and power of low-income, immigrant and working families by uniting parents across race and community around issues of importance to children and families. You can find more information at: http://cofionline.org/
The Woman of God’s, Inc. is a freestanding self-supporting organization, with the goal and mission of meeting the needs of women in a loving, caring, and nurturing environment and ministering to the whole woman. You can find more information at: http://www.wogdministry.org/
