TELL CONGRESS TO PASS THE END PUSHOUT ACT
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

Each and every child regardless of race, gender, class, faith, status or
ability deserves the right to a quality education and to attend schools
where they can learn, grow, feel safe, and thrive.

But imagine being a student in a school where you were disciplined for
expressing trauma. Imagine being suspended for your own natural hair.
Imagine being pushed out of the classroom for showing energy, independent
thinking and strength that would earn others the label of ‘future leader.’

This is the unfortunate reality faced by too many Black and Brown
students, and even further Black and Brown girls who have been pushed out
of school, making them more likely to end up in the juvenile justice
system due to systemic racism. [ [link removed] ]

[1]This pattern must stop! Tell Congress to Pass the End Push Out Act now!

Pushout refers to the punitive discipline practices schools use, which
exclude students from class and too often harm students and communities by
pushing them out of school altogether. These practices affect all
students, but they disproportionately affect students of color, students
with disabilities, and LGBTQIA students.

Here’s what you should know about school pushout:

* Black Girls are Being Expelled and Suspended at Alarming Rates
According to the National Black Women’s Justice Institute, Black girls
are seven times more likely to be suspended and four times more likely
to be arrested at school, as compared to their white peers for the
same types of behaviors. Girls’ education is being disrupted by
suspension and expulsion, which has a severe impact on their academic
experience and takes away their opportunity to learn. [ [link removed] ]

* School Policies Enable Pushout 
School policies that are innately biased make it difficult for girls
of color to thrive in school. Zero tolerance policies criminalize
Black and Brown girls and lead to disproportionate, entirely unfair,
and harmful suspensions and expulsions for minor infractions. This
includes school policies that do not allow extensions, braids, weaves,
etc. and are inherently racist and discriminatory as they force Black
girls to erase their identity and conform to eurocentric beauty
standards. [ [link removed] ]

To add further injury, studies show the regular presence of school
resource officers and other law enforcement leads to harsher and
sometimes violent treatment of Black girls in particular. School dress
codes hyper-sexualize girls, who are being removed from class because
they are too “distracting,” further disrupting their learning. [ [link removed] ]

* Discipline Policies Are Informed by Racial Biases and Stereotypes
Black girls are often stereotyped as being sassy, loud, aggressive,
and confrontational. Ironically, speaking your mind, being assertive,
and having strong opinions are often celebrated as leadership skills
when displayed by white girls – but such behaviors are discouraged or
punished for Black girls. The discrimination and bias that Black and
Brown girls experience daily at school by teachers, administrators,
and students often leads to discipline without acknowledgment of the
discrimination they face or exploration of other possible reasons for
the behavior. These stereotypes often fuel harsher punishments, which
further criminalize them.

This makes addressing implicit biases essential to creating more
equitable outcomes for Black and Brown girls in school. Implicit
biases can influence what teachers expect of their students and can
lead to lower expectations for their Black students. If teachers are
acting on their biases, it could have harmful effects on their Black
and Brown students. Schools need to provide implicit bias training to
educators to help address this issue. [ [link removed] ]

* The Importance of Mental Health Resources and School Counselors
Black and Brown girls are at a higher risk of experiencing and/or
witnessing violence and other traumatic experiences. These experiences
have a profound impact on them and can alter their mental, emotional,
and physical wellbeing. Unaddressed trauma can affect students’
ability to learn, and it’s not something they can just leave outside
of school. There needs to be more support for girls’ mental health at
school and more trauma-informed training for educators so they can
respond to students’ actions with the right tools and necessary
resources and referrals. [ [link removed] ]

[2]We can end Push Out! Tell Congress to Pass the End Push Out Act.

Schools can start addressing pushout now by taking steps to shift the
culture of criminalization. This includes centering compassion and empathy
when addressing behavior and student needs.

Schools also can and should advocate for best practices like “calling in”
versus “calling out,” instead of shaming or publicly punishing students.
Teachers can compassionately invite students to reflect on their behavior.
These practices can minimize existing trauma while still addressing
misbehavior. Restorative justice practices help promote a more positive
environment and better connect girls to their local community, fostering
conditions where Black girls can succeed. 

[3]And! It’s time for Congress to Pass the End Push Out Act!

Lawmakers can prevent unfair school pushout now by passing the
P.U.S.H.O.U.T. Act (H.R. 5325).[ [link removed] ] The bill aims to stop discriminatory
punishment practices that criminalize Black and Brown students and pushes
them out of school and into the juvenile and criminal justice system
effectively fueling the school-to-prison pipeline.

A core part of the bill incentivizes states and schools to ban most
out-of-school suspensions and expulsions for minor infractions. This major
step can ensure there are equitable educational opportunities for girls of
color to achieve academic success by ending punitive and discriminatory
discipline practices that put Black and Brown girls at risk.[ [link removed] ]

The Ending PUSHOUT Act makes federal grants conditional on schools banning
most suspensions and expulsions of children up to fifth grade. It also
aims to eliminate suspensions and expulsions over minor infractions like
tardiness and absenteeism or violations of grooming and appearance
policies that consistently discriminate against students of color. The
bill would require school districts to ban all corporal punishment, which
remains legal in 19 states across the country and is disproportionately
administered to black students and students with disabilities.

Together we can end the culture of criminalization in our schools and
build school cultures and environments where all kids, particularly those
who have been harmed by policies and practices that push them out of the
classroom and into the juvenile and criminal justice system, can thrive. 

[4]Join us in ending pushout, and dismantling the school to prison
pipeline for good!

Thanks for all you do,

-- Amber, Aryan, Beatriz, Beth, Casey, Christina, Claudia, Diana, Diarra,
Donna, dream, Elyssa, Felicia, Gloria, Hanna, Jacqueline, Jessica, Jordan,
Joy, Julia, Karen, Keisha, Kelle, Kristin, Linda, Lisa, Lucrecer, Maggie,
Mandy, Marysol, Monifa, Nadia, Namatie, Nancy, Nate, Nina, Ruby, Ruth,
Sara, Selina, Shanette, Sheila, Sili, Sue Anne, Tasmiha, Taylor, Tina,
Tola, and Xochitl

P.S.–October is Juvenile Justice Month. To learn how you can engage and
take additional actions! [5]CLICK HERE
 

References:

[1] [6]Resources | PUSHOUT
[2][3][4][5][6] [7]School Pushout: What You Need to Know & How to Combat
It
[7] [8]H.R.2248 - Ending PUSHOUT Act of 2021
[ [link removed] ][8] [ [link removed] ]Bill Aims to End the "School to Confinement Pathway


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