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.