Education
The Education Priority Area Group (PAG) was formed in recognition of the critical role education plays in the greater web of social justice issues. Education reform is an absolutely necessary beginning step to tackling many of the other, inter-connected ills that adversely and disproportionately affect low-income citizens and communities of color in the Boston area.
The Education PAG chose to focus on the issue of school expulsion and quickly found both a complex and nuanced issue as well as a rich community of advocate groups who are actively seeking ways to enact reform.
The Issue
There are a large number of students, particularly African American and Latinos, who are being expelled from school for non-violent offenses. According to Massachusetts law, no other school, not even an alternative school, is required to accept and educate these students. This has far-reaching repercussions on the child’s ability to obtain and retain jobs, secure housing, and generally develop into a happy, healthy, and productive human being.
Partnerships for a Solution
The Social Justice Committee has partnered with Massachusetts Advocates for Children to push legislation that will encourage schools to use non-exclusionary punishments (like in-school suspensions) when possible, and place limits on the amount of time students can be expelled or suspended for non-gun offenses.
We are confidant that this partnership will yield a solution that is beneficial to our schools and the futures of our students.
If you are interested in learning more about public school expulsion policy reform and how you can get involved, please contact us: