FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2021, Lawrenceville, Ga. – Gwinnett SToPP is thrilled with the departure of James Alvin Wilbanks as Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) superintendent and the opportunity for change. However, this replacement alone does not accomplish the goals of Gwinnett SToPP. Gwinnett SToPP demands tangible changes in our schools to address the glaring disparities in Gwinnett schools in order to create equitable educational environments for our students. We seek the elimination of racial, socioeconomic status, and differing ability disparities in education programs in conjunction with the development and administration of student discipline practices and policies. This includes a complete rewrite of the GCPS Student Code of Conduct developed together with students and community and police-free schools.
For Gwinnett SToPP, removing police officers from schools is paramount to creating a safe and inclusive learning environment. For schools to be holistically safe, we must invest in research-based supports such as culturally competent counselors, restorative justice practitioners, and community intervention workers to maintain a positive learning environment. Training sessions for officers will not help. There is no evidence police make schools safer. Any definition of school safety must include emotional safety— children must be emotionally safe to learn at school in order to thrive. Right now, students with disabilities and Black and Brown students are not emotionally safe to learn while at school.
Gwinnett schools’ discipline code is as archaic as their practices. Our objective is to identify, design, and implement school discipline policies that promote restorative practices and non-discriminatory application across race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and education program of students. Revisions and modifications to a broken code that disproportionately impacts students of color is not sufficient. Gwinnett SToPP demands that the new superintendent work with the various community stakeholders including parents, students, and restorative justice experts. Student discipline policies should address the root cause of the behavior and, in accordance with a social-emotional learning environment, equip students with the coping and self-regulation tools needed for constructive decision-making and problem-solving. The policies shall be fair, proportionate, reasonable, and lay out clear expectations for student conduct. The policies shall not criminalize student behavior that is developmentally appropriate although undesirable.
It is imperative that GCPS employ systemwide education policies and practices that do not result in a disproportionate impact based on race, national origin, or differing ability of students to ensure that students of all races and abilities are treated in a non-discriminatory manner and ensure that students are not excluded from GCPS’ education program. We will hold Dr. Watts accountable for creating a transparent culturally rich, academically challenging, emotionally safe, and discrimination-free school district for our community.
CONTACT: Marlyn Tillman, Gwinnett SToPP, 404-590-7877, info@gwinnettstopp.org