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From October 16th through October 24th, the Dignity In Schools Campaign (DSC) members and allies participated in the National Week Of Action. The event is a time for grassroots organizations to raise awareness against school pushout. This year’s theme was Community Not Cops, and it perfectly illustrates the true solution to improve the success of every student, no matter their background. The platform stresses a reversal in the use of police in schools. Students need culturally competent school staff who have the ability to love and understand the stages of childhood development without labeling students as criminals through age-appropriate misbehavior. We partnered with Parents Across America, Parents Organized for Public Education (P.O.P.E.), and Southern Poverty Law Center to host a conversation about why we must invest in “Community NOT Cops.”
We played a game titled “Peek a Po-Po.” Peek a Po-Po is a memory match game designed to educate the community about our local Kick Cops Out of Schools campaign as well as the national Community Not Cops platform. Evelia, parent and alumna of Gwinnett SToPP’s Parent Leadership Institute TheRemix, was the game player representing Gwinnett. Rita, an education advocate, was the game player representing North Carolina. The players discussed the two platform demands upon making a match. Each player spoke about their experiences with school climate, School Resource Officers(SROs), and the importance of pushing for change.
Everyone had an amazing time, but we were most encouraged by the resolve of our members. With the current divisiveness in our nation and the sometimes sloth-like movement of progress, one can easily become discouraged. So to see our community and those around the nation continue to fight and choose hope rather than despair really put a smile on all of our faces. May we continue to fight, and we thank you all for attending our Week of Action event!