New York City public schools house more New York Police Department personnel than guidance counselors and social workers (combined). Bro/Sis and its youth organizers are calling on city and state officials to increase education budgets by 2020 to hire more student support staff and give our students the guidance they truly deserve.
We’re also calling for an immediate freeze on the hiring of additional school police. The money saved from such a hiring freeze should be refocused to fund the salaries of additional support staff.
The 20/20 Campaign Demands
Disciplinary Changes
- Remove Metal Detectors
- Prioritize additional training in de-escalation practices and Mental Health First Aid to personnel in schools with the highest number of summonses and arrests.
- Increase awareness and provide professional development for school personnel and SSAs on the impact arrests and suspensions have on students.
- End student arrests as well as the issuance of summonses and juvenile reports for non-criminal, non-violent violations and misdemeanors.
- Implement Restorative Justice Practices Citywide.
- Mandate Guidance interventions before the use of suspensions.
- Employ in-school suspension before out-of-school suspension and ensure youth on in-school suspension are able to keep up with work.
- Jails for youth under 21 years of age should also have schools.
Programmatic Changes
- Incentivize and craft programs for college graduates of color (and marginalized peoples) to become counselors and therapists.
- Each school should have a student council/advisory board as well as licensed and qualified teachers.
- Each school should have a health and wellness + mental health center and a college and career counseling center with a 1:100 ratio for personnel to students.
20/20 Exhibit
In April and May 2019, members of the Liberation Program organized the 20/20 Exhibit, which featured student installations regarding their experiences in NYC public schools and the need to increase the funding for our schools by 20% to pay for more student support staff – Social Workers, Guidance Counselors, Career Counselors, College Counselors, Therapists, and more.
Approximately 200 visitors participated in the interactive exhibit. Stay tuned for more organizing and educational activities in the coming year.”
The Children’s Arts Carnival
62 Hamilton Terrace
New York, NY 10031
Photos
