Washington, DC – On Monday, March 4 at 4pm a national coalition of students of color and allies from around the country, including members of the Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC), the Advancement Project, the Alliance for Educational Justice, and Washington, DC-based youth organization Critical Exposure, will hold a rally on the NE corner of the U.S. Capitol Grounds to call on congress to reject school safety policies that promote an increase in police, school resource officers (SRO’s) and armed guards in our nations’ public schools. The coalition is urging Congress and the Obama administration to instead focus on proven positive measures like positive behavior intervention and supports, social and emotional learning, restorative justice, and the hiring and training of counselors, social workers, and community intervention workers.

Members of the coalition will be in Washington DC on March 4-5, 2013 to meet with members of the U.S. House and Senate and the U.S. Department of Education. The coalition will present its “Statement by Youth of Color on School Safety and Gun Violence in America” and promote its “You Can’t Build Peace With A Piece” social media campaign to mobilize students of color from around the country and raise awareness about the policies that transfer school discipline issues to the criminal justice system.

In January, the Dignity in Schools Campaign, together with the Advancement Project, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) and the Alliance for Educational Justice released a joint issue brief outlining the problems already experienced by stationing police and armed guards in schools, and offering alternative recommendations.

WHAT: Youth of color-led rally at the U.S. Capitol Building and march to the White House to call for positive approaches in response to gun violence and address the impact of school safety policies on youth of color.

WHO: National youth of color-led coalition including youth members and allies from the Dignity in Schools Campaign, the Advancement Project, the Alliance for Educational Justice, and Washington, DC-based youth organization Critical Exposure.

WHEN: Monday, March 4, 2013, 4:00pm ET

WHERE: NE corner of the U.S. Capitol Building, at the intersection of First St NE and Constitution Ave. NE, Washington, DC.

To read the statement by youth of color please visit – http://bit.ly/Yuw4rK [1]

The read the joint issue brief please visit – http://www.dignityinschools.org/files/Police_in_Schools_are_Not_the_Answ… [2]

The Dignity in Schools Campaign is a coalition of youth, parents, educators, civil rights organizations, and social justice advocates working to ensure the human right of every child to a quality education and to be treated with dignity. The DSC challenges the systemic problem of “push out” and promotes local and national alternatives to a culture of zero-tolerance, punishment and removal in our nation’s schools.

Dignity in Schools Campaign – http://www.dignityinschools.org [3]