Communities of Practice
Dignity in Schools Campaign - California
The purpose of DSC-CA is to deepen grassroots community-based understanding of the historical role and future implications of school discipline, the relationship between schools & law enforcement, and the dehumanizing impact of the public education system and expand our movement’s political opportunities to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, repair the intergenerational harm it has caused, and craft systemic alternatives for multiple generations.
DSC-CA membership is composed of core organizations, primarily base-building community organizing groups, that have demonstrated they are in alignment with regional collectives and have made a commitment to a movement building strategy. Membership is for organizations who have made a long term commitment to ending the school to prison pipeline. C4LL is honored to provide movement lawyering collaboration in three of DSC-CA’s regions: Los Angeles, Inland Valley and the Central Valley.
Fix School Discipline Policy Coalition
The Fix School Discipline Policy (“FSD”) Coalition is a multi-disciplinary state-wide coalition of organizers, attorneys, and policy advocates. We anchor the Coalition and share leadership. One of our primary goals is to build solidarity in statewide policy processes and maintain alignment across regional work. We work in deep partnership to create an intentional community where we learn from each other, honor the expertise of those most impacted by policies, and prioritize solutions that build community power. Community led the way in partnership with FSD to successfully end the use of suspensions and expulsions for disruption/defiance in California. FSD continues to protect this victory and advocate for shifts in educational spaces away from punitive discipline and criminalization in schools and towards conditions where all youth are seen, supported, and valued. Protecting hard fought victories and defending the human right to education in California is especially crucial given national attacks on civil rights protections.
Dignity in Schools Campaign National
The Dignity in Schools Campaign challenges the systemic problem of pushout in our nation’s schools and works to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. As a national coalition, DSC builds power amongst parents, youth, organizers, advocates and educators to transform their own communities, support alternatives to a culture of zero-tolerance, punishment, criminalization and the dismantling of public schools, and fight racism and all forms of oppression. We bring together our members through direct action organizing, public policy advocacy and leadership development to fight for the human right of every young person to a quality education and to be treated with dignity.
