What do we want? Justice!
Zero Tolerance in Schools Stops Now
The over-policing, out-of-control suspensions and expulsions must be brought to an end immediately. To rebuild our structures, we will focus our resources on restorative justice - the organic appointment of community leaders, mediation and processing, and equitable perspectives on rehabilitation. Ending zero tolerance and focusing our schools around restorative justice will honor an autonomous voice and vision for students, staff and faculty.
Black Teacher Pushout Ends Now!
Racist policies in schools and biased skills exams eliminate Black and Brown teaching candidates. We must increase opportunities for teachers of color and retention. The elimination of Black teachers is an aggressive push towards homogenizing education in America, creating the School to Prison Pipeline, and continuing the pervasive system of racism on which this country was built. This creates a greater burden on the Black teachers and service providers who are left behind. They become viewed as “disciplinarians.” Studies show that students excel academically when taught by someone in their racial group. This message of inequity negatively impacts our student's aptitude for learning and limits the scope of their dreams. Our Black Teachers need our support and deserve to no longer be abandoned.
A class is incomplete if only one history is taught.
Our students of color deserve to feel empowered in the classroom by seeing themselves positively displayed in the curriculum. Black History and Ethnic Studies must be included in all K-12 classrooms. Teachers should be mandated to participate in university and certification programs before infusing Black history or Ethnic Studies into their curriculum so they do so effectively. This will also ensure that these changes occur with informed tools and dedication to the core tenets of these studies.
Students Need Counselors
Schools spend large amounts of their financial resources on school resource officers, often local police officers. These same schools often lack counselors to meet their students’ needs. Just having a police presence in schools causes stress and harm regardless of whether a student interacts with them. And there are videos of horrifying interactions between police officers and Black students. In reality, students need access to counselors at their schools, especially when experiences of racial disregard and adverse childhood experiences continue to increase. We demand that schools have counselors and manageable caseloads so they can provide meaningful support to all students.
The over-policing, out-of-control suspensions and expulsions must be brought to an end immediately. To rebuild our structures, we will focus our resources on restorative justice - the organic appointment of community leaders, mediation and processing, and equitable perspectives on rehabilitation. Ending zero tolerance and focusing our schools around restorative justice will honor an autonomous voice and vision for students, staff and faculty.
Black Teacher Pushout Ends Now!
Racist policies in schools and biased skills exams eliminate Black and Brown teaching candidates. We must increase opportunities for teachers of color and retention. The elimination of Black teachers is an aggressive push towards homogenizing education in America, creating the School to Prison Pipeline, and continuing the pervasive system of racism on which this country was built. This creates a greater burden on the Black teachers and service providers who are left behind. They become viewed as “disciplinarians.” Studies show that students excel academically when taught by someone in their racial group. This message of inequity negatively impacts our student's aptitude for learning and limits the scope of their dreams. Our Black Teachers need our support and deserve to no longer be abandoned.
A class is incomplete if only one history is taught.
Our students of color deserve to feel empowered in the classroom by seeing themselves positively displayed in the curriculum. Black History and Ethnic Studies must be included in all K-12 classrooms. Teachers should be mandated to participate in university and certification programs before infusing Black history or Ethnic Studies into their curriculum so they do so effectively. This will also ensure that these changes occur with informed tools and dedication to the core tenets of these studies.
Students Need Counselors
Schools spend large amounts of their financial resources on school resource officers, often local police officers. These same schools often lack counselors to meet their students’ needs. Just having a police presence in schools causes stress and harm regardless of whether a student interacts with them. And there are videos of horrifying interactions between police officers and Black students. In reality, students need access to counselors at their schools, especially when experiences of racial disregard and adverse childhood experiences continue to increase. We demand that schools have counselors and manageable caseloads so they can provide meaningful support to all students.