ICUC youth leaders have been doing research and have had ongoing conversations with school board members and district staff on this issue since 2012.
Adamaris Maldonado, a junior at Arroyo Valley High School, and Michael Ramirez, a junior at Middle College High School, presented a report in which they outlined the declining yet still large number of suspensions that are impacting students in the district. Maldonado and Ramirez also brought to light the need for more funding and better implementation of positive disciplinary actions and alternative practices, such as Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) and Restorative Justice. They called for a moratorium through policy change for suspensions under code EC 48900 (K) violations, also known as Willful Defiance.
The meeting also featured a panel discussion on the impact of suspensions on students and families. Participants included Miguel Machado, ICUC youth leader and parishioner at St. Anthony, San Bernardino; Joseph Williams, founder of the Youth Action Project (YAP); Pastor Keith Tolbert from Life Center Church; Ayla Lopez, Arroyo Valley High school student and ICUC youth leader; and Luis Nolasco, community engagement and policy advocate with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Lopez testified to her own experience with Positive Behavior Intervention Supports.
“I felt supported by the teachers and administrators whenever I had something going on at home,” she said. “For me PBIS worked and I believe it will work for others. This is why we need to make sure that each school is getting the support and funding they need to be able to fully implement this program.”
Machado talked about the need for Restorative Justice practices at schools.
“I was suspended for something that I did not cause” he said. “This is why I urge the school district to make sure that school staff have the training needed through Restorative Justice to make sure that students are heard before being judged. This way, when things like this happen, students feel like they have a voice and a chance to resolve the problem instead of simply being pushed out of school.”
According to a meeting summary provided by ICUC, the youth leaders got commitments from both Gallo and Medina to study the resolution passed by Los Angeles Unified School District regarding suspensions, and to meet again within 45 days to finalize a similar policy for SBCUSD that would put a moratorium on Section (K) violations/ “Willful Defiance” suspension. Gallo and Medina also committed to introduce this policy for adoption at a school board meeting within the next 90 days, and to meet with youth leaders to review district policy around ticketing and arresting of SBCUSD students.
According to recent research done by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, “[San Bernardino] is one of two major cities whose school district officers have authority to arrest students, and they do so regularly.” Between 2007, when the school officer arrest policy was implemented, and 2013, school officers have arrested 59,290 students under the age of 18.
ICUC leaders say this culture trickles down to other disciplinary procedures like suspensions. In the 2013-14 school year SBCUSD gave 9,618 suspensions, 30.7% for Willful Defiance. Many of these suspensions are given for minor offenses that could be dealt with in a different manner, ICUC contends, pointing to research showing that disciplinary removal does not appear to improve school climate and excludes students from learning and further exacerbates the problem.