National Week of Action Against School Pushout
Education is STILL a Human Right!
2025 Week of Action Dates
October 18th-26th, 2025
In their best light, schools are meant to be places of hope, belonging, community and possibility. Through education, students and communities are supposed to gain critical skills and socialization to participate meaningfully in the positive transformation of society. Yet today, millions of students in the United States are criminalized through policing in schools, harsh disciplinary codes, and test-driven systems that treat young people as problems to be managed rather than human beings to be nurtured. Families are also pushed out, silenced, and excluded from decision-making in schools that should belong to them. That’s why our grassroots coalition of students, educators, parents and advocates continue to declare: Education is STILL a Human Right.
Each October, the Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) organizes a National Week of Action Against School Pushout from October 18–26, 2025. Through teach-ins, film screenings, panel discussions, workshops and more, our Nationwide Week of Action is our rallying call to confront the systemic violence, neglect, and exclusion that deny young people—especially Black students, students of color, Indigenous youth, LGBTQIA+ youth, disabled youth, and housing-insecure youth—their right to learn, thrive, and belong. When we affirm that Education is a Human Right, we are insisting that education is more than buildings and policies—it’s both a relationship and commitment rooted in human connection and trust. Our school communities must reflect that through fostering belonging, healing, and justice for every student.
DSC National Event
We Rise. We Build. We Win.
412 Justice is a multiracial, intergenerational, and multi-issue organization that focuses our efforts around economic, environmental, and education justice. We build deep trust and collaboration with impacted people by creating an inclusive, safe space to learn, ask questions, and use our voice to promote strong, healthy communities and corporate accountability through the redistribution of wealth, power, and resources.
WoA Event Map
PA – National Event
[In Person] Dignity in Schools Week of Action Kick off w/ 412 Justice
The 8th Annual Know Your Rights Workshop/Lunch and Learn Mini-Conference
Saturday, October 18th, 10:00AM 3:00PM
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Join us for a transformative day of learning, connection, and empowerment! The 8th Annual Know Your Rights Workshop/Mini-Conference is a community-centered event designed to equip families with the knowledge and tools they need to protect and advocate for our children’s educational rights.
412 Justice is a proud member of the Dignity in Schools Coalition and we have been selected as the DSC Week of Action kick off hosts. This year’s theme is “Education is STILL a Human Right”
This year’s conference will feature powerful workshops, passionate speakers, and vital resources covering key topics like:
*IEPs & 504 Plans- Special Education
*The Impacts of School Closures
*Restorative Justice Practice/Focus on Healing, Not Push Out
*Immigration in Our Schools: How to Protect Our Children from I.C.E.
Portland, Oregon
October 18th | All day
Tabling at the No Kings rally in Portland at Deering Oaks Park
Louisiana – FFLIC
Friends and Families of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC)
October 23rd: Teach-in inside middle school with students to sign on to DSC national platform
Virgina
Advocates for Kids Inc.
Date: Saturday October 25, 2025 | From: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location 520 E Main St, Suite 4, Norfolk, VA 23510
Advocating While Black™: From Barriers to Breakthroughs event Join us for the official launch of the Advocating While Black™ research report a year-long study led by Dr. Kathryn E. Wiley (Howard University) in partnership with Advocating 4 Kids Inc This groundbreaking research explores how systemic inequities in Virginia’s schools impact Black neurodivergent students. At this event, we’ll unveil the findings, highlight powerful family stories, and share tools designed to help communities push for meaningful change.
FMI: https://adv4kidsinc.org/octevent
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Tenants and Workers United
October 24th
Youth led Teach-in: The importance of adequate mental health resources in our schools, October 24th, Community members and students are able to contact our organizer directly to sign up for the event.
Sindy Carballo (571) 404-2492
Mississippi
GAP Leadership Collective
Voices of Dignity: Youth Leading Change
Mississippi Valley State University Social Science Building – Main Auditorium 14000 Highway 82 West Itta Bena, Mississippi 38941
October 22nd | 9-11AM Central
Event Description: This interactive youth leadership experience will engage middle and high school students in storytelling, advocacy, and public policy learning. Hosted by Mississippi Valley State University’s Department of Social Sciences in partnership with the GAP Leadership Program, One Voice, Inc., and the Dignity in Schools Campaign, the event will teach students how to take control of their narratives and use their voices to lead positive change in their schools and communities.
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Sunflower County Parents and Students United
Educators & Students Town Hall | October 18th & 20th-25th at 4pm
Location – Church of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at 1020 Kinlock Road, Indianola, MS 38751
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New York
The Circle Keepers
October 22nd | 5PM
DSC Intergenerational RJ Dinner
RSVP: bit.ly/dscny-rjdinner
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DSC – New York
Dignity in Schools Campaign – NY Community Building and Strategy Retreat
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United Women in Faith
Oct 21, 7 PM-8:30 PM ET / 4 PM-5:30 PM PT [virtual panel]
Education is STILL a Human Right: Women of Faith Interrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Honoring the National Week of Action Against School Pushout with the Dignity in Schools Campaign
How are women of faith interrupting the school-to-prison pipeline in communities across the country? What needs are they seeing? What work are they doing? How does their faith connect to the “what,” “how,” and “why” of their work? Join us to hear from three powerful women as we explore these questions and many more!
This panel features:
Letha Muhammad (North Carolina)
Karen Lynn Morton (Illinois)
Lori Chambers (Indiana)
Link for more information: https://mailchi.mp/uwfaith.org/weekofaction2025?e=b1e9bea840
Minnesota
🟡 EVENT 1: “Our Stories Matter: Somali and Latine Family Listening Session”
📍 Minneapolis – Northside
🕒 Date: 10/20/2025
Description:
listening session where Somali and Latine parents and caregivers can share their experiences with student suspensions and school discipline. This space is designed to uplift family voices, build collective power, and shine a light on how school pushout impacts our communities. Interpreters and language support will be provided. Stories will help shape advocacy and policy change in Minneapolis and across Minnesota.
Co-hosted by: S.T.A.N.D. Up Minnesota Parents United & Community Partners
🟡 EVENT 2: “Understanding Minneapolis Public Schools’ New Suspension Policies”
📍 Minneapolis – Southside
🕒 Date: 10/23/2025
Description:
Minneapolis Public Schools has introduced new policies around student suspensions. What does this mean for families? How will it impact students of color who have been disproportionately suspended? This interactive is to learn about the policy changes, ask questions, and share your feedback directly with advocates and organizers working to hold the district accountable.
Open to parents, students, and community members.
🟡 EVENT 3: “Listening to Lead: Community Conversation on School Discipline”
📍 Minneapolis – Emerson Middle School Site Council
🕒 Date: 10/24/2025
Description:
This second Minneapolis listening session offers another opportunity for families at Emerson Middle School especially those most impacted by exclusionary discipline to share their stories, concerns, and hopes for change. Together, we’ll identify patterns, lift up community solutions, and strengthen our collective advocacy to end school pushout.
🟡 EVENT 4: “Centering Black Parent Leadership: Discipline Policy and the State’s Role”
📍 Saint Paul Public Schools Black Parent Advisory Council Meeting
🕒 Date: TBD
Description:
This presentation will focus on state discipline policy and how it shapes local district practices. We’ll share updates on legislative efforts, highlight disparities in suspension and expulsion rates, and discuss how Black parent leadership can drive real change. Families will have the chance to ask questions, build connections, and help shape advocacy strategies for the upcoming legislative session.
In partnership with Saint Paul Public Schools Black Parent Advisory Council.
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October 30th
TCIA & NOTICE Coalition
The Glitch Lab is an artist residency using socially engaged art to spark dialogue and amplify student and community voices around cultural narratives of safety in response to big tech & surveillance.
North Carolina
California
Coleman Advocates
Haunted House Exhibit: School to Prison Pipeline October 21st | 5:00-7:30
Where: Coleman Advocates 459 Vienna Street SF, CA 94112
Description: Gallery walk/haunted house that exhibits the flow of pushout from classroom to hallway/referral rooms to carceral systems. Families and students will walk through and learn about the root causes of the school to prison pipeline, current suspension data, and they will be invited to engage in Know Your Rights Trainings, Listening Sessions, and Leadership spaces.
New Jersey
Paterson Education Fund
Education Townhall
When: October 20th | 6-8pm
FMI: Contact Linda Reid: Lindar@paterson-education.org
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