Article by: Brandie Bowen
For years, our communities fought for something very simple: safe and supportive schools. But for Black and Brown students in SF, school didn’t always feel safe. Students were pushed out, suspended, excluded, and criminalized often for subjective, nonviolent behavior. So we organized, led by youth and families Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth fought and won major changes.
We helped pass the Safe and Supportive Schools Resolution, we ended willful defiance, and we pushed for restorative practices and real support systems. We made real progress. Suspensions dropped. But push-out didn’t disappear. It evolved.
Push-out has a new face. And while suspensions may have gone down, The disproportionality did not. In fact, the gap has persisted and in some cases worsened. Black students account for 26% of suspensions and face an 8.5% rate. That’s over 4 times the district average.
And students with disabilities accounted for 33% of suspensions. When students are pushed out, even silently, they lose out on time, support and opportunity, and the system keeps moving on without them. Researchers at Stanford University recently put a name to what our communities have been saying all along: silent suspension. Students being sent out of class without documentation, ignored instead of supported, and the outcomes reflected. Adultification of Black students is the harmful bias that views them as older, less innocent, and more culpable for their behavior than their peers. This leads to harsher discipline and greater risk of school push out.
Coleman champions safe, culturally affirming schools where Black and brown students are supported and not pushed out. Join us in pushing for the second phase of accountability for our students.
Stay connected because we will be calling on you. And if you know any young people who need support or services, sign them up for the SF Youth Justice Initiative by accessing the QR code attached here.
Because we’re not done fighting until every student is seen, supported, and set up to thrive!
I’m looking forward to fighting with you on the front lines of this battle.
If you would like this in video form, you can view it here:
https://youtu.be/gXxt8OVseeA
