New York State School Suspension Moratorium

New York State students lose thousands of days in the classroom each year because of suspensions, often for normal youthful behavior. As all students have returned to school across the state, we must eliminate the use of harsh and racist school disciplinary policies by passing a statewide suspension moratorium. The COVID-19 pandemic forcing the closure of schools reinforced how important being in school is for our most vulnerable students. Students from disadvantaged and marginalized communities often rely on school for more than just their education. Our school communities provide stability and connect students with services to help navigate food insecurity, homelessness, and social, emotional, and mental health support. Following the return to school (virtual and in person) for all New York state districts, we are demanding the New York State Department of Education to issue guidance for a year long moratorium on school suspensions.

Discriminatory school discipline policies disproportionately push Black, Latinx, Indigenous, TGNCIQ, and students with disabilities out of school and into the school-to-prison pipeline. A recent study released by the New York Equity Coalition found Black students in New York State are more than 4 times as likely to be suspended from schools than their white peers. Students most at danger of being pushed out of school are still navigating the trauma of having their families and communities plagued by a global health pandemic. During this new and difficult process returning to schools, it is vital that we don’t disrupt students return to school and default to “zero tolerance” responses to school behavior, which has its roots in criminalizing Blackness and undermines the ability to build safe and nurturing learning environments/

Please sign this petition demanding NYSED (New York State Education Department) Interim Commissioner Dr. Betty Rosa

Pass statewide guidance for a moratorium on new suspensions during the 2020-2021 school year.

We need Solutions Not Suspensions!