YOUTH MANDATE For Education and liberation A MANDATE TO GUIDE US FROM CRISIS TO LIBERATION Endorsed by youth organizations and their allies 482Forward Center for Popular Democracy Fannie Lou Hamer Center For 50 Miles More Center for Youth & Community Change A Leadership Journey Leadership in Education Fathers & Families of San (CYCLE) Joaquin A.C.C.E Chicago Teachers Union Florida Student Power Network Action Center on Race and the Economy Chispa Fort Collins Community Action Network Activists With A Purpose Cia Siab, Inc. Freedom, Inc. Advancement Project National Coastal Youth Media Office Communities for Just Schools Fresno Barrios Unidos Alliance for Police Fund Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Accountability-PGH Communities United for Organizing Alliance for Quality Education Restorative Youth Justice Girls for Gender Equity Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools Critical Exposure GO-HIGH CORP Anti Police-Terror Project Critical Studies Working Group Good Journey ARISE Deep Center Granite State Organizing Project Arkansas Community Detroit Action Hearing Youth Voices Organizations Detroit Area Youth Uniting Helping Hands Community AROS-Prince Georges County Michigan (DAYUM) Outreach Services Autistic Self Advocacy Network Education Justice Research and Hmong American Women’s Organizing Collaborative at the Association Badass Teachers Association NYU Metro Center HOMEY Black Parallel School Board Edward W. Hazen Foundation InnerCity Struggle Black Skeptics El Pueblo, Inc. IntegrateNYC Black Student of California Elite Educational Consulting United Journey for Justice Alliance Ella Baker Center for Human Justice Teams Network Blue Future Rights JustLeadershipUSA Blue Hills Civic Association ELYTE Juvenile Justice Coalition Brighton Park Neighborhood End Mass Incarceration Georgia Council Network Juvenile Law Center Building Community Capacity, EveryBlackGirl, Inc Keller Williams Atlanta Midtown LLC Faith in Action - East Bay Khmer Girls in Action Californians for Justice Faith in New Jersey Latinos Unidos Siempre CASA Families and Friends of Lawyers for Good Government Center for Constitutional Rights Louisiana’s Incarcerated (L4GG) Center for Disability Rights Children 2 Youth Mandate for Education and Liberation +++ www.youthmandate.com Endorsed by youth organizations and their allies Leaders Igniting Transformation Parents Organized for Public Tenants and Workers United Living United for Change in Education The Choice Program at UMBC Arizona Parents Supporting Parents NY The Daniel Initiative Make the Road Connecticut Performing Statistics The Dignity in Schools Make the Road Nevada Policing and Social Justice Campaign Make the Road New Jersey Project The Gathering for Justice Make the Road New York Prevention at the Intersections The Sillerman Center for the Make the Road Pennsylvania Project KnuckleHead Advancement of Philanthropy Manhattan Country School Project VOYCE The Telfair Lift Every Voice Organization Many Languages One Voice - Providence Student Union MLOV PrYSM (Providence Youth The Village Method Marion County Commission On Student Movement) Together for Brothers (T4B) Youth, Inc Public Justice Center Twin Cities Innovation Alliance Maryland Communities United Revere Youth in Action United Teachers of Los Angeles MomsRising Rights & Democracy Urban Youth Collaborative New Georgia Project Rights4Girls Virginia Council on LGBTQ+ New Jersey Parents Caucus RISE Coalition Tri-City Wide Angle Youth Media New Jersey Youth Caucus RISE for Youth Women’s Leadership Project NJ21United Schott Foundation for Public Young Invincibles Nollie Jenkins Family Center, Education Young Organizers United Inc. Sistas’ With Voices Young Voices NY Working Families Party Social Fabric Research Youth Alliance NYC Coalition for Educational Social Impact Design Studios Youth Everywhere Rising and Justice Southern Coalition for Social Resisting (YERR) Ohio Student Association Justice Youth In Action OLÉ (Organizers in the Land of SPACEs in Action Youth Justice Project of the Enchantment) Special Education Advocacy Southern Coalition for Social One Pennsylvania Services of Luzerne, LLC Justice Open Society Policy Center STEAM Box Youth on Board Our Future West Virginia - Young Step Up Louisiana Youth Pride, Inc. West Virginia Student Advocacy Center of YouthRise Texas Pa’lante Restorative Justice Michigan YVote/Next Generation Politics Padres & Jovenes Unidos Student Voice Teachers Unite Youth Mandate for Education and Liberation +++ www.youthmandate.com Youth Mandate for Education and Liberation +++ www.youthmandate.com 3 INTRODUCTION For more than three decades, Black and Brown youth, parents, educators, and communities have organized to dismantle the school-to-prison-and-deportation pipeline. As a core feature of that fight, Black young people have relentlessly called for police-free schools. Their experiences have made clear that police do not keep them safe. This report articulates young people’s mandate to their government —local, state, and federal—to permanently end the school-to-prison-and-deportation pipeline and build a liberatory education system based on principles of inclusion, equity and racial justice. At this moment, the federal government has a particular opportunity to change course, repair harm and act decisively to advance this goal. After providing our guiding principles for all levels of government, this document lays out specific actionable policy demands Black and Brown young people (and their allies) have for the federal government - both the Administration and Congress - to take right now to begin dismantling the school-to-prison-and-deportation pipeline. 4 Youth Mandate for Education and Liberation +++ www.youthmandate.com CONTEXT The school-to-prison-and-deportation pipeline is one Over the last several years, the United States of the most egregious examples of systemic racism Department of Education (US ED) has encouraged and state sanctioned violence in our country. The and steered local school districts towards creating school-to-prison-and-deportation pipeline refers to hostile learning environments for students of color the combination of policies and practices that punish, and embedding the criminal legal system within public isolate, marginalize, and deny young people who schools.8 Federal agencies such as the Department of are Black, Brown, Latinx, Indigenous, immigrant, Education and Department of Justice (US DOJ) have LGBTQIA+, youth with disabilities, and young people supported the exponential growth of charter schools,9 at the intersections of those identities, from access to provided some school districts with military grade nurturing and supportive learning environments and weapons,10 and established grant programs contributing instead funnels them into the criminal legal system. For over $1 billion to “school safety” funding that subsidized immigrants and undocumented young people, school more than 7,240 school resource officers11 leading to the push-out can result in detention and deportation.1 systemic criminalization of students of color. The national outcry following the police murders of The resulting disparities across race and disability George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many other Black are staggering. A 2018 report by the Government people, has laid bare the urgent need to address Accountability Office found that Black students are the horrific police violence Black people face across overrepresented in every disciplinary category, including this country every day. For youth of color, there is no arrests, referrals to law enforcement, suspensions, escape. As young people navigate two worlds—their and expulsions.12 The disparities are widespread and communities and their schools—they know one truth: persistent across the country. Nationwide, Black students that the police who are harassing and brutalizing them were only 15.5 percent of all students, but accounted for in the streets are the same as the ones doing so in nearly 35 percent of school-related arrests, according their schools. In 2020, due to the longstanding work of to the most recently available data.13 Furthermore, while young people of color, the country saw unprecedented students with disabilities were about 12 percent of all progress towards police-free schools. As just a few students, they accounted for 27.5 percent of the students examples, Oakland voted to dismantle its school police referred to law enforcement or arrested in school.14 department,2 and places like Milwaukee,3 Minneapolis,4 Indeed, in 2016, even the United Nations highlighted Portland,5 and Madison,6 have all ended school district the disproportionate impact of school discipline in the contracts with police departments. Nearly 40 districts United States and recommended changes to school have taken some action towards removing police from discipline including the removal of police from schools schools.7 Young people’s vision is possible and support and addressing the racial discrimination faced by Black for this vision is growing. students.15 Youth Mandate for Education and Liberation +++ www.youthmandate.com Youth Mandate for Education and Liberation +++ www.youthmandate.com 5 There is no substantial evidence that police and imagine safe spaces where they can receive support hardened security measures make schools any safer.16 from staff trained in culturally responsive social and However, there is evidence that placing law enforcement emotional development. When schools allow students to in schools makes it more likely that students of color will lead