Campaign News

12.18.2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:                                            Monica Klein, 917-565-0715 monica@seneca-strategies.com

**Interviews available with student activists and national education justice leaders**

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the Federal Commission on School Safety, the Trump Administration’s response to the Parkland tragedy, released its final report. The body, chaired by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and including Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, released recommendations that are proven to make school less safe for students of color, LGBTQ+ and gender nonconforming youth, and their communities. The recommendations call for rescinding critical federal civil rights guidance on school discipline, a blueprint for how to arm school staff, and encourage the entrenchment of the school-to-prison pipeline through militarizing and “hardening” schools with military personnel, police, metal detectors, and surveillance equipment. Youth-, parent-, educator-, and community-led organizations across the country reject the commission’s recommendations aimed at “hardening” schools. Such policies will lead to a further entrenchment of racial and gender-based discrimination in school discipline and deny students an opportunity to learn and the freedom to thrive.

“For students like us, this is not what safety means,” said Amina Henderson-Redwan, a youth leader with Voices of Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE) who testified before the Commission in June. “Safety does not mean more police in schools, more metal detectors and armed teachers. Safety means to get to the root causes of a student's misbehavior. This Federal Commission on School Safety needs to listen to communities that it's supposed to represent, communities like mine.”

The following activists and leaders are available for interviews on the report:

For years, organizers working with the Communities for Just Schools Fund, the Alliance for Educational Justice, the Center for Popular Democracy and Dignity in Schools Campaign have advocated for an end to discriminatory and exclusionary discipline policies that funnel young people towards prison rather than success. We believe that holistic approaches to student wellbeing are the way to make our schools more safe, supportive, and inclusive instead of the recommendations from the Commission, which would harm and criminalize youth of color. In response, students and organizers released the following quotes detailing the opposition they had with the report findings.

Jaime Koppel, Deputy Director of Strategic Partnerships, Communities for Just Schools Fund “These recommendations do not represent the will of the people or the best interests of the majority of this nation’s public school children. We call on states and local school districts to do the the harder work of fostering deep relationships and connection in school by investing in restorative justice, culturally relevant curricula, diverse teaching and support staff, anti-bias training, mental and emotional health supports and more to actually make our schools more safe. Youth and parents have made their vision for safety clear in CJSF’s new report, “Do the Harder Work: Create Cultures of Connectedness in Schools.”

Jonathan Stith, Executive Director, Alliance for Educational Justice “DeVos and the Commission have completely ignored the voices of the 1.6 million Black and Brown students who attend schools with a police officer but no guidance counselor. Students are calling for police-free schools where their ‘safety’ is not synonymous with their criminalization. Every day they come to school to learn and instead are greeted by metal detectors and by the same police force killing their unarmed peers in the street or separating them from their families. Safety for Black and Brown students doesn’t mean more police abusing them like the #AssaultAtBruslyMiddle in Baton Rouge earlier this year.  Neither is arming the very racially biased teacher who has fueled the school-to-prison pipeline an answer to school safety.”

Dmitri Holtzman, Director of Education Justice Campaigns, Center for Popular Democracy “While rescinding the Federal Guidance on School Discipline does not in any way alter federal civil rights laws, it does send a clear message to millions of Black, Brown, Immigrant, LGBTQ and Transgender students that the Federal Government is turning its back on them instead of proactively protecting their fundamental rights. Together with the other recommendations aimed at “hardening schools” (more military personnel, police, metal detectors etc.) rescinding the Guidelines signals an authoritarian, punitive and oppressive approach to ‘school safety’ which we know will have a the most detrimental effect on children and youth of color, in particular.”   

Thena Robinson Mock, Program Officer, Communities for Just Schools Fund “It is important to make clear that the proposed rescission of the federal discipline guidance doesn’t change civil rights protections in public education. However, the school safety commission’s reversal of evidenced-based guidance aimed at creating safer and healthier schools dismisses proven solutions to improving school climate that have been vetted by educators, students, and parents.”

Marlyn Tillman, a parent organizer with Gwinnett SToPP “Upon attending the first listening session held by the commission, it was clear that the commission made a disingenuous attempt to engage the public. The timing of the notices were not conducive for parents and youth to be included in a meaningful way on a topic that impacts them directly. I followed up with FOIA requests in an attempt to assure again that the public received proper notice of these sessions. In August, I received a response that there weren't any records responsive to my requests.Yet more pop up meetings and listening sessions were held. It is clear this commission intentionally beguiled the public.”

Brikaia Hines, Youth Leader, Leaders Igniting Transformation “After the Parkland school shooting, youth of color made our demands clear in our #YouthDemand petition - endorsed by more than 5,000 people and 40 national and local organizations, in which we demanded: divestment from school policing, investments in schools and teachers, more guidance counselors, protections for families and children against ICE arrests, among other things. DeVos and her commission have chosen to ignore us, but we will be heard. Our civil rights matter.”

Ricardo Martinez, Co-Director, Padres y Jóvenes Unidos “We often hear that school safety is sidearms and metal detectors. For us, it is a relationship between family and school personnel. We need to open arms to students and families, and hire more mental health professionals.”

Zakiya Sankara-Jabar, National Field Organizer, Dignity in Schools Campaign “The commission sent a message today that they do not value the lives and well being of all students. Hardening schools will never be the answer. Our coalition of over 100 organizations believes that we can create safe, nurturing schools without pushing students into the school-to-prison pipeline. Regardless, of the decision to rescind the guidance, the law is still the law, and we will fight to protect the civil rights of all young people.”

An Intentionally Flawed & Limiting Public Input Process Leads to Recommendations That Do Not Represent Public Comment On March 24, 2018, hundreds of thousands of young people, families, educators, and community members came to Washington, D.C. to demonstrate their commitment to a new vision of school safety. Yet the Commission sidelined these key constituencies. They only held public input sessions in four cities--Washington, D.C., Lexington, KY, Cheyenne, WY, and Montgomery, AL -- with little to no notice beforehand so that students and professionals often could not make arrangements to attend. The members of the Commission did not even attend these sessions. All were represented by proxy.

In a decision that underscores the Administration’s lack of commitment to protecting students’ civil rights, the school safety commission rescinded the 2014 U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Education joint civil rights guidance on school discipline that outlines evidence-based best practices and recommendations for school officials to administer discipline in a manner that does not discriminate against students on the basis of race, color, or national origin. The 2014 school discipline guidance encourages schools to improve overall school climate, find alternatives to exclusionary discipline practices (such as out-of-school suspensions and school-based arrests) that lead to school pushout, and ensure that there are sufficient school-based counselors, social workers, and other mental health providers and support services to address and prevent challenges that may occur in schools.

The Commission has completely ignored the calls of millions of young people who have consistently called for an end to the criminalization of Black and Brown students, as well as their communities. Young people, parents, and communities have instead called for holistic approaches to school climate that include mental health care, restorative practices, and the resources they need to thrive.

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Communities for Just Schools Fund is a national donor collaborative that provides resources in support of community-led organizations that are working to ensure positive, safe and supportive school climates that protect and affirm the inherent cultural dignity of all students and foster the success of all students.

Alliance for Educational Justice (AEJ) is comprised of membership organizations committed to the engagement of youth of color, LGBTQ youth, and their parents - key constituencies deeply impacted by racialized achievement gaps and bias-based disparities in school disciplinary policies.

Center for Popular Democracy promotes equity, opportunity, and a dynamic democracy in partnership with innovative base-building organizations, organizing networks and alliances, and progressive unions across the country. CPD builds the strength and capacity of democratic organizations to envision and advance a pro-worker, pro-immigrant, racial justice agenda.

The Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) is a national coalition of over 100 organizations dedicated to dismantling the School-to Prison Pipeline. DSC fights for the human right of every young person to a quality education and to be treated with dignity. We have challenged the systemic use of exclusionary discipline practices that disproportionately impact students of color, students with disabilities, and students who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ), a problem that the U.S. Department of Education’s most recent civil rights data verifies.

Mid-Hudson News - December 29, 2014 - It took a 2007 Federal lawsuit to ensure equity in New York State school aid funding to local districts. Over the course of the past six years, Ulster County school districts received close to $26 million or at least they would have, had the State actually implemented the promised foundation aid. Instead, the foundation aid was frozen as part of the State's budget process.

"Ulster County tax payers have been paying more and more to ensure education for all," said County Legislator David Donaldson (D, Kingston). "Yet, the State has balanced its budget without paying its promised share. The State leadership has to stop talking about supporting the future of our State and actually pay for what they promised."

Over a billion dollars are being given to serve the 3% of student population that attend Charter Schools in New York State for 2014. $54 million is estimated by a Center for Popular Democracy's report to be lost because of charter school fraud and abuse in 2014 alone. Only eighteen of the sixtytwo counties in New York State have a charter school. Ulster County has no charter schools.

"I am all for helping parents to ensure their children receive the quality education they deserve," said Donaldson. 'That quality education starts with the public education system that serves 85% of New York State's children. Until the State leaders provide the funding that will address the educational gaps in public education and ensure the oversight and accountability of private charter school education, no taxpayer dollars - whether State or local taxes - should be spent on privately run schools that are not held to the same standards or expectations as the public school system."

Donaldson wants the County Legislature to consider the measure at their January 9 session.

Source

Ana Maria Archila, one of the protesters who spoke to Mr. Flake on his way to the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on Friday.

Watch the video here.

UPDATE July 15th -- Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) invoked cloture on the ESEA bill, which contains provisions to expand the Charter Schools Program. The final vote will be held today. McConnell's move to bring matters to a close came as a surprise to the authors of the bill who had expected a more robust debate, and, as EdWeek reports, "especially squeezes Democrats who are still working on proposals to beef up accountability."

As both the House and the Senate consider separate bills that would reauthorize and expand the quarter-billion-dollar-a-year Charter Schools Program (CSP), the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) has examined more than a decade of data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) as well as documentation from open records requests. The results are troubling.

Between 2001 and 2013, 2,486 charter schools have been forced to shutter, affecting 288,000 American children enrolled in primary and secondary schools.

Furthermore, untold millions out of the $3.3 billion expended by the federal government under CSP have been awarded as planning and implementation grants to schools that never opened to students.

The failure rate for charter schools is much higher than for traditional public schools. In the 2011-2012 school year, for example, charter school students ran two and half times the risk of having their education disrupted by a school closing and suffering academic setbacks as a result. Dislocated students are less likely to graduate and suffer other harms.

In a 2014 study, Matthew F. Larsen with the Department of Economics at Tulane University looked at high school closures in Milwaukee, almost all of which were charter schools. He concluded that closures decreased “high school graduation rates by nearly 10%" The effects persist "even if the students attends a better quality school after closure.”

Hidden behind the statistics are the social consequences. According to a 2013 paper by Robert Scott and Miguel Saucedo at the University of Illinois. They found that school closures “have exacerbated inter-neighborhood tensions among Chicago youth in recent years” and have been a contributing factor to the high rate of youth incarceration.

Because the U.S. Department of Education does not provide the public with any accounting for the amount of taxpayer money—whether state or federal—that has been spent on these failed charter schools, there is no way to estimate the total amount of money missing in action. However, the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) recently estimated that "according to standard forensic auditing methodologies, the deficiencies in charter oversight throughout the country suggest that federal, state and local government stand to lose more than $1.4 billion in 2015."

According to a PowerPoint presentation CMD has uncovered, the watchdogs at the U.S. Department of Education's Office of the Inspector General are currently conducting major nationwide probes into the lack of accountability and oversight within the Charter School Program. One of these audits focuses on where federal grants end up when charter schools are forced to close. A spokesperson for OIG confirmed to CMD that these investigations are ongoing.

The new probes come in the wake of a scathing 2012 audit, which exposed an utter lack of financial controls in the case of money awarded to charters that later closed. “The school files had no follow-up documentation for any of the 12 closed schools reviewed,” the OIG noted in the case of California. The U.S. Department of Education had conducted no oversight and failed to ensure that states receiving tens or hundreds of millions in grants had “procedures to properly account for SEA grant funds spent by closed charter schools.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Department of Education officials have assured stakeholders that the problems with millions disappearing down black holes are now a thing of the past. But the fact that the OIG has found reason to launch major investigations this year tells a different story.

It is impossible to anticipate the findings of the ongoing OIG probes, but even a cursory review of federal charter school grants in Wisconsin and Indiana, conducted by CMD, uncovered dozens of schools that were created out of seed money under the program but later forced to shutter because of financial mismanagement, failure to educate students or lack of enrollment.

Wisconsin received $69.6 million between 2010 and 2015, but out of the charters awarded sub-grants during the first two years of the cycle, one-fifth (16 out of 85) have closed since.

Indiana was awarded $31.3 million under the Charter Schools Program between 2010 and 2015. One of the reasons the state landed the grant, the reviewers contracted by the U.S. Department of Education to score the application make clear, was that charter schools in the state are exempt from democratic oversight by elected school boards. “[C]harter schools are accountable solely to authorizers under Indiana law,” one reader enthuses, awarding the application 30/30 on the rubric “flexibility offered by state law.” This “flexibility,” which the federal program is designed to promote, has been a recipe for disaster:

The Indiana Cyber Charter School opened in 2012 with $420,000 in seed money from the federal program. Dogged by financial scandals and plummeting student results the charter was revoked in 2015 and the school last month leaving 1,100 students in the lurch.

Padua Academy lost its charter in 2014 and converted to a private religious school, but not before receiving $702,000 in federal seed money.

Early Career Academy landed a $193,000 planning grant and was due to open last year. This has been postponed because of “governance issues,” according to the school. The charter is sponsored by a for-profit college—ITT Tech—that is currently being sued by federal government for coercing students into taking out student loans for college credits that do not transfer.

In April 2015, Education Secretary Arne Duncan testified in front of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services and Education on abuse of federal funding by for-profit colleges, such as ITT Tech, that were “taking advantage of a massive influx of taxpayer resources.”

“The findings that we are putting forward are pretty stunning…pretty egregious. The waste of taxpayer money—none of us can feel good about,” said Duncan.

And yet, he is calling for a 48 percent expansion of the charter schools program—a program that will likely be up for the vote in the House and Senate this week, before the results of any of the OIG audits are made public to lawmakers and stakeholders.

CMD will soon be releasing the full dataset, as well as information on the methodology used to arrive at the list of closed schools, to help reporters and public school advocates tell the story.

Source: PR Watch